My Mom is a Teacher
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: xLR, TF, SPD, OOx Unable to have children of their own, Mack and Rose Hartford adopt the orphaned Sydney Drew Grayson and learn that being family doesn't mean you have to be blood. CarterDana, WesJen, SkySyd, MackRose.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers/Notes: Not mine, unfortunately. This was inspired by Syd's line from the SPD episode Sam Part II: "My mom is a teacher." I thought, 'Well, Rose is a teacher. What if Syd had been adopted?' and then this was born.

**My Mom is a Teacher**

"I think we're just about done fixing this one," Rose Hartford told her coworker Kat Manx. "The bugs are all worked out. Should I go get Mack to test it?"

Kat studied her data for a moment and then looked at the morpher she and Rose were working on. The feline poked at the morpher for a moment, tweaked a knob slightly to the left and then nodded at Rose. "Sure. It's ready for another test run."

Rose smiled slightly. "He and Wes are probably still exaggerating about their ranger days. They're two of a kind, that's for sure." She heaved a sigh and went off in search of her husband.

She managed to drag him away from his embellished story about how he single handedly found the Sword of Excelsior and fought off its guardian without using his ranger powers. "OK, Mr. Let's Forget All about the Fact That My Wife was the One Who Made the Sword Usable, you're needed in the lab."

"I didn't forget, honey," Mack told her as they headed back to the testing area. "I just chose not to mention it."

When the couple reached the lab, they saw that Commander Anubis Cruger had entered the lab in the Hartfords' absence. Neither he nor Kat noticed Mack and Rose's reappearance. The two aliens were deep in conversation.

"Luckily, Gruumm's troops did not get their hands on the technology the Graysons were trying to deliver to us. It was destroyed in the explosions. That part of the mission was successful. It will take Gruumm that much longer to get to Earth now."

"But the Graysons were destroyed trying to save the machine. It's a tragedy. What's going to be done with their daughter?" Kat questioned.

"We are in charge of finding Sydney a suitable guardian. Dana was very clear about that. The Graysons' wills explain that they have necessary paperwork for adoption waiting at their lawyer's office. The state will have to do some background checks to ascertain that the couple we choose for Syd will be good guardians, but there shouldn't be any trouble."

Rose's brown eyes were wide as she tried to catch Mack's attention. "Mack," she hissed, "We could adopt the little girl, and it wouldn't take years like it would if we were to adopt another child. She needs someone, and we can't-"

"Rose, I know how much you want children. And yes, if we were to ask the Commander if we could adopt Syd, I'm sure he would agree that we'd be great parents…but isn't it a little soon?" Mack asked his wife gently. "I mean, our baby-"

"Commander," Rose said, causing both Cruger and Kat to realize she and Mack were in the room, "What about Mack and I? We could adopt Sydney."

Cruger gave a rare smile.

"Sydney is a very special child," Kat said carefully. "Dana and Carter were involved with the morphing technology and Syd has…powers."

"She'll fit right in," Rose said firmly. "When Mack and I became rangers, Andrew tweaked with our DNA. Sydney being special won't change anything. When can we get the paperwork, and how old is she? I want to know what kind of things I need to buy for her room."

"This is very fast, honey," Mack told his wife. "Shouldn't we talk about this first? You know, alone?" His blue eyes showed concern for her.

"She's just under a year," Kat informed Rose. "But Mack is right. You should talk about this more in depth. Think it over for a few days. Sydney will stay here at SPD in the nursery until your decision is made and the paperwork is final."

On the way back to the Hartford home, Rose did not drop the subject of adopting Syd. "Mack, I can see your point. Jamie being stillborn was the worst thing that ever happened to us as a couple, and I know it was only three months ago. But now we can have another shot at being parents. This little girl needs someone, and since we can't have our own children…please, Mack? I think we should do this. We can start all over."

"You really want to, don't you?"

"I do."

"If Jamie had-"

"No ifs, Mack. On Monday I want to tell Cruger our decision to adopt Sydney. We're finally going to be parents…"


	2. Chapter 2

**My Mom is a Teacher**

"And you're sure you want to do this, honey?" Mack asked his wife. The Hartfords were sitting in the lawyer's office, just about to sign the papers that would allow them to be Sydney's legal guardians. "There's no turning back once it's signed."

"She needs us, Mack." Rose locked gazes with the lawyer. "We're one hundred percent sure that we want this. Mack is just…thorough. So where do we sign?" She picked up the pen that had been left on the desk and pulled the papers closer.

"Right on the bottom, Mrs. Hartford," Mr. Loring told her. Rose took a deep breath and then signed her name on the line. Rose handed the pen to Mack and he did the same. Mr. Loring looked the papers over and gave the two a warm smile. "That's all in order. Congratulations, it's a girl."

Rose beamed. "And we can take Sydney home now? We're her parents?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hartford. Sydney is legally your child."

"We're parents Mack," Rose said happily. "I can't believe we're really parents. Let's go get Syd now. I can't wait to get her home. I hope she likes her room."

"Honey, she'll love it. And she's gonna love you. You're going to be such a wonderful mother. I just know it." Mack turned to Mr. Loring. "Thank you for your time, and for answering all of our questions." The two men shook hands and then the Hartfords left the office.

When they arrived at SPD, Rose led the way to the nursery that was offered for those with children. The caretaker on duty that afternoon, Kim Oliver, smiled warmly at the Hartfords. "Hi guys," the brunette chirped, "You're here to pick Sydney up, right?" Rose nodded and followed Kimberly over to one of the cribs. The original pink ranger picked up the baby that was lying inside.

Rose took the baby in her arms, looking at Syd lovingly. "Hello, little one," she whispered. "She's just gorgeous, isn't she, Mack?" Rose added to her husband. She beamed with pride.

"She is," Mack agreed, looking over his wife's shoulder at the infant. "And she's ours now, Rose. Our little girl." Mack kissed the top of Rose's head and smiled down at her. "Let's take her home."

"Oh, wait!" piped up Kim as she came over to the couple with a file folder in her hands. "Kat got this information for you. It's Syd's birth certificate and her list of allergies and stuff like that. She said you would need it."

"Thanks, Kim," said Rose. "See you."

The Hartfords strolled through SPD, unable to take their eyes off of their new daughter. Sydney was still fast asleep with her head resting on Rose's chest. "I'm going to do everything right for you, Syd," Rose promised. "Whatever you want to do, I'm going to support you. I'm never going to tell you that you can't do something."

Mack smiled sadly at Rose. He knew that she wanted nothing more than to be the exact opposite of her own mother. "You're going to be great."

"Thank you, Mack." The couple stepped out into the bright New Tech sunlight and headed for their car. Rose carefully strapped the pink clad infant into her car seat and kissed her forehead. "Love you," she murmured. She got into the passenger side of the red SUV and reached for her husband's hand. "I'm so glad we did this, Mack."

"Me too." Mack smiled at his wife and drove the newly expanded family back to San Angeles.

This time it was Mack who held Sydney as they went inside. "Let's go look at your new room, baby girl," he said softly. "Mommy worked so hard on it. She says it's called 'nesting.' I say it's called being obsessive." The Hartford male took the infant up to the second floor and into a pink room.

Rose had not made very many changes to the room that had originally been Jamie's. She had not been able to bear taking down the nursery despite the fact that it hurt to think about Jamie. When she and Mack had decided to adopt Sydney, Rose aired out the bedroom and moved the furniture around. That way it felt like a new room for her new family member.

The white crib stood in one corner, and the matching rocking chair sat adjacent from the crib. The changing table and dresser were side by side, ready for use. The walls were pink and about a quarter of the way down the walls was a border of red teddy bears. A matching stuffed bear was in the crib.

Mack set Sydney down in the crib and the curious child reached for her new toy. She let out a happy baby giggle.

"She already feels at home," Rose said happily.

"Of course she does," Mack replied. "Of course."


	3. Chapter 3

**My Mom is a Teacher**

"Hi, Mack!" Rose said cheerfully as she entered the front room of the Hartford home. Mack appeared from the living room with Syd in his arms. The infant's face lit up and she stretched her arms out for Rose. Mack watched his wife brighten at this simple gesture. Rose put her purse and laptop case down and stepped closer to the other members of her family.

She leaned in for a kiss from Mack and then took Syd from his grip. "Hello, baby," Rose said softly. Rose kissed her daughter's forehead and then cradled her gently. "Mommy loves you so much, little one." She looked up and caught Mack's eye. "How was your day, Mack? Did you get your photos in on your deadline?"

"Yep. I took Syd out for a spin around the neighborhood after her nap and gave her a bottle not even an hour ago. I even started dinner. And your day, baby?"

"It was great. My lecture went over really well and then I talked to Ronny at lunch and got the rest of the term papers graded. Some of my students' work was just amazing. I had a good day all around."

Mack kissed his wife again. "Well, I'm glad. You seem like you're in a great mood."

"I am." Rose beamed up at her husband and then took Sydney into the kitchen. She carefully put the infant into the highchair and turned to the stove. Rose checked how the sauce for spaghetti was coming and decided she would have enough time to go relax with Mack. Rose left a handful of Cheerios on the highchair's tray for Sydney to munch on and then joined Mack on the couch.

The Hartfords cuddled on the sofa, content just to sit in silence with one another. Syd babbled to herself and every so often one of her nonsense words would make her parents laugh. "This is the best thing we've ever done."

Mack kissed the top of his wife's head.

0o0o**Three Years Later**o0o0

Rose Hartford sat on the floor in Syd's room, trying to get her little girl into her yellow dress. "Please, honey, just put on the dress Auntie Ronny bought for you. It would mean so much to her."

"It's my party, Mommy," the four year old protested. "I want the pink one, and I want to wear my hair in a ponytail." The little girl folded her arms over her chest as Mack stuck his head into the room.

"Jen just called. She, Wes, and Sky are on their way."

"OK. Mack, please try to get Syd into the dress. Nothing I do is working." Rose looked upset, and she was. Normally, she could talk her daughter into doing things, but today Syd was being stubborn. "I'll go check to make sure we have enough juice boxes."

Mack caught her by the hand as she began to leave Sydney's room. He kissed his wife full on the lips, causing Syd to make a face. "Ew!" she shrieked. Mack grinned at Rose, who returned the smile.

When Rose had gone, Mack took her spot on the floor. "Sydie," he said, "You promised me that you would be a good girl for Mommy. She worked so hard for you and all of your friends to be able to have a nice party. Now what's wrong with the yellow dress?"

"Yellow is yucky, Daddy," Syd chirped as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I like pink. Pink is pretty." She nodded to make this statement clearer. Then Syd went to her closet and picked the pink dress out.

"No yellow, huh?" Mack asked. Syd shook her golden curls. "Come here, sweetie." The male Hartford held out his arms, and Syd climbed into his lap. She loved her mother, but there was just something so special about Daddy's hugs. "If you don't want to wear the yellow dress, how about you wear the pink one-" Sydney's face lit up in delight – "But you let Mommy do whatever it was that she wanted to do with your hair."

"That sounds good," Sydney said softly. "That way Mommy and me both get what we want."

"It's called compromising, Sydie, and you'll have to do it a lot in your life. It's an important skill to have. Sometimes, honey, you have to give a little to be able to take what you want. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy. Let me put on my dress and then Mommy can do my hair." Sydney beamed up at her father and then Mack left his daughter to get dressed. A few minutes later, the young child came out wearing her pink dress and black patent leather Mary-Jane shoes. "Do I look pretty, Daddy?" she asked sweetly.

"You're beautiful, honey." Mack reached for his daughter's hand and led her downstairs. They found Rose in the kitchen, frosting the birthday cake.

"Let me see my gorgeous little girl," Rose said with a smile when she heard her family's footsteps. Her face fell a little as she turned to see that Sydney had gotten her way. "Sweetie, what happened to the yellow dress? I think you look pretty in the yellow one."

"Daddy told me we could cam – cem – com-"

"Compromise," Mack prompted. "She wears the dress she wants, and you do her hair the way you want. Everybody wins."

"Sydney, go find your hairbrush," Rose said. When Syd was out of earshot, Rose gave her husband a look. "I think she's getting to be a little spoiled, Mack. I wanted her to wear the yellow dress to prove a point: You can't always get what you want. And then you go and tell her it's OK to do what she wants so long as it makes her happy."

"I was avoiding disaster," Mack defended himself, "Syd is four, Rosie. All kids are a bit spoiled when they're little. She'll grow out of wanting to get what she wants all the time. Just let her be a kid, baby. She's so excited about this party."

"I know. And I know she's just a kid, but how children are disciplined affects how they behave as adults. I don't want Syd to grow up to be a selfish, unhappy person."

"She won't. We're doing the best we can do for her, and that's all anyone can ask for. And she adores us, Rosie. Especially you. Now come on, let's have this party."


	4. Chapter 4

**My Mom is a Teacher**

Sydney's friends and their parents arrived in a flurry of activity. All ten little girls were jumping around excitedly, squawking about how much fun they were about to have. "Where's Syd? Where's Syd?" one squeaked.

"I want to play fairy princess," piped up another. Rose and the other mothers smiled at each other in a knowing sort of way, and as she welcomed the girls to the Hartford home, Wes, Jen, and Sky arrived.

"Come on in, guys," Rose greeted the Collins. "Sky, the other kids are in the backyard. Would you like to go play?" she asked the young boy kindly. He looked very sulky. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sky, honey, Auntie Rose asked you a question," Jen told her son pointedly. She gave him a little nudge.

"Thank you, Aunt Rose," Sky mumbled tonelessly.

"Come on, buddy, let's go find Uncle Mack," Wes said in his usual cheerful tone. He placed a hand on Sky's shoulder and ushered him off through the house. Jen frowned and turned to Rose.

"I'm sorry, Rose. He's usually a much nicer kid, but he's upset that there aren't any other boys here. Sky is still at that 'girls are yucky' stage."

"Oh, Syd nearly threw a tantrum when she found out there was an 'icky boy' coming to her party. Kids," Rose laughed. "Can I get you something to drink, Jen?" She motioned to the kitchen.

"Thanks," Jen replied as she followed Rose down the hallway. She sat down at the table as Rose poured two glasses of lemonade. "So, is Syd excited about being four?" Jen asked after she took a sip of her drink.

"Yes. She loves being a 'big girl.' I'm a little worried that Sydney is getting to be spoiled. When she doesn't get her way, she screams or cries of pouts until she does. Mack and I were so happy to finally have a child of our own that we doted on Syd far too much."

Jen gave Rose a rare smile. "Dana and Carter did that, too. Syd is just a child who loves to be in the spotlight. I don't think it's you and Mack spoiling her."

"That's what Mack said: That all kids are spoiled when they're little. I just want to do right by her."

"Something tells me she's just fine," Jen replied, pointing at the window. Through the glass, the former pink rangers could see Syd standing with her hands on her hips, surrounded by her friends, who looked in awe of her. "See? The other kids like her well enough."

Indeed, Syd's friends admired her greatly. She was pretty and had nice toys and a nice mommy and daddy. She always had fun ideas for games and she was always making up songs.

Sky, however, did not seem to like her much. He was sitting on the lawn, playing with his Power Rangers figures, irritated by the annoying, giggling girls. "Would you stupid girls just shut up?" he cried.

"Watch your language, Sky," Wes reprimanded his son from his spot near the grill. He and Mack picked up their conversation as Sydney marched over to the only boy in attendance.

Still with her hands on her hips, Sydney and her gang of girls stood over Sky, blocking out the sun. Sky looked up at Syd, his annoyance written on his face. "We," Sydney announced, "Are _not_ stupid. In fact, only boys are stupid. Go away, you stupid _boy_."

"Sydie," Mack warned as he flipped over a burger patty. When that was done, the former red ranger looked over at his daughter. "Hey Wes, I think we have a pair of lovebirds here," he told his friend.

Wes laughed. "They would make a cute couple, but they _are_ a bit young." He too, watched the children's' interactions for a moment, Syd growing shriller and Sky growing angrier as the argument progressed. Suddenly, Sky stood up and shoved Syd to the ground.

"I told you to shut up!" he screamed at the younger girl. Mack and Wes exchanged a glance before going to their children. Mack pulled the now sobbing Syd into his arms as Wes took Sky aside and began to lecture his son.

"Daddy, make him go home," Syd whined as Mack rocked her gently. "I don't like him. He's mean, and he called me stupid and he's ruining my party." Sydney looked up at Mack with big blue eyes, begging for her father to make everything better, just like he always did.

By now Rose had joined her family. "Syd, I know Sky must have hurt your feelings, but this wasn't all his fault. Everyone saw the two of you fighting. And we aren't going to ask Uncles Wes and Aunt Jen to take Sky home just because you don't like him. Sky is our guest, just like your friends."

"But Mommy," Syd wailed, her eyes welling with tears. She was not used to a flat out "no" from her parents. Syd liked to think of herself as a princess. Princesses _always_ got what they wanted. Why weren't Mommy and Daddy cooperating? "Mommy, please?"

Rose gave Mack a "back me up" look, and he nodded. "You're getting to be a big girl now, baby. Part of growing up is learning to get along with people, even if you don't like them. Just ignore Sky."

"OK, Daddy," Syd replied sullenly. She was sad. This was _her_ day to be pampered and loved. She should not have to spend her birthday party with this mean boy. She folded her arms across her chest.

"But first you have to apologize," Rose said firmly. Mack nodded in agreement and gave Syd a gentle push towards Sky. He looked just as angry as Syd was at having to make nice.

"I'm sorry," Syd said in a very small voice.

"Me, too. I guess," Sky mumbled in response.

"And now it's time to eat," Mack announced. He brought a plate of cheeseburger patties over to the picnic table and spoke to the little girls. "Go in the house and wash up. Syd's mom will help you. When you come back, lunch will be waiting." The former red ranger turned to Wes. "Will you get the kids some juice while I turn off the grill?"

"Sure," Wes replied, striding back towards the house. On his way in, he ran into Ronny and Will, who had just arrived. "Hi. You're just in time for lunch." Will noticeably brightened as he continued out to the yard. Ronny followed her husband, balancing her year-old on her hip.

A moment later, the little girls (and Sky) bounded back into the yard, eager for lunch. "Hi, Auntie Ronny," Syd chirped. She was very fond of her mother's best friend, who liked to bring her presents. "Hi, Little Logan." Syd eyed Sky, who had already attacked his cheeseburger. The cup of grape juice Wes had brought his son was balanced precariously on the table. It gave her an idea.

Syd skipped across the yard to the table and sat down next to Sky. "I think we should be friends," Sydney told him in an innocent voice. Sky was suspicious, but he merely shrugged. "It's my birthday, you know." Sky stared at her.

"I would like to eat. In _peace_," he griped.

Syd looked around to see if any adults were watching, and when she saw her mother, father, aunts and uncles were deep in conversation, she swiped at the juice. It fell right into Sky's lap, covering his jeans with a purple stain.

Sydney's friends laughed. Syd was the coolest girl they'd ever known.

"You stupid _girl_," Sky hissed. He got up from the table and marched over to his mother. "Mom, look what _Sydney_ did to me!"

Jen took a look at her son, and then over at Syd, who was the picture of innocence, calmly taking a sip of juice. "I'm sure it just fell. It's a little windy today." She put a hand on her son's shoulder. "I'll help you clean up. Come on." Sky shot Sydney a dark glance from over his shoulder as his mother led him inside.

He made his move a little later. As Syd and her best friend Alycia prepared to run a three legged race, he tripped the younger girls, who screamed.

During the piñata smashing, Syd managed to his the young boy with a stick, leaving a bruise on his shin.

Later, as Rose rummaged through the junk drawer for candles, Sky shoved Syd's face into the cake. Syd's hand landed on a fork, and then the strangest thing happened.

In her fright and anger, Syd's small hand turned to silver when coming into contact with the fork. The other children screamed and scrambled away from Sydney – all except Sky. He just stared at her, suddenly knowing that she was just like him. Mack and Rose exchanged troubled glances and went into action. Rose herded children into the living room and Mack scooped Syd up and brought her upstairs to the bathroom.

He ran a warm bath for his whimpering child, whispering soothing words. When the tub was full of bubbles, she looked up. "Daddy, what's wrong with me?" she asked as Mack began to rinse the cake out of her hair.

"Baby, you're a very special little girl," Mack told her carefully. "You're going to be able to do some very good things in the world one day. You'll learn to use these 'powers' of yours when you're older. I know it's hard right now because you're so young…it'll be OK." He worked some cake crumbs out of Syd's golden curls.

"All my friends looked at me funny," Syd said softly.

"Sometimes, honey, people are afraid of what's different."

"This is all Sky's fault," Syd declared, "He's so mean."

Mack ignored this statement for now. When all the cake was out of Syd's hair, Mack squirted a dollop of shampoo in it and washed her curls thoroughly. "All done, Syd." He looked down at his daughter who was looking at her silver hands sadly. "I'm going to get you a towel now," Mack said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

When Mack came back with a pink towel for Syd to dry off with, her hands were back to normal. "Look, Daddy! I'm not a freak anymore!" Mack just smiled and helped Syd dry off. He brought clean clothes from her bedroom and got her dressed, and when the two returned to the party, all of Syd's friends were going.

"No, no, don't leave," Sydney begged, "It was just an accident. I'm not weird. I just have…"

But no one bothered to listen to Sydney's pleas. The girls ran off with their mothers, looking frightened. "She's not one of us," Syd heard Alycia say. Syd was hurt by this, and she turned to her mother, who dropped to the floor and pulled Syd into her arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Two Years** **Later**o0o0

Syd had been glad to get out of preschool, where all of her former friends were. Now she was starting first grade, and she had lots of new friends who didn't listen to the girls who had been at Syd's fourth birthday party. She was happy to be popular and adored.

Fortunately, her powers had not surfaced since that day, though she still refused to be nice to Sky, and vice versa. Syd loved her Auntie Jen and Uncle Wes, but any time she could pick a fight with Sky, she did. The Hartfords and Collins' maturely ignored this, figuring that the children would grow out of it.

One day, Uncle Will came to pick her up from school. "Where's Mommy?" Syd asked as Will led her out to his black SUV. Mommy always took her home from school. Will was quiet for a moment as he helped Sydney buckle her seatbelt, trying to find words to explain.

"She and your dad had to go to Silver Hills," Will said, "Uncle Wes had an accident and your mom and dad had to help Jen. She's really sad, Syd, and so is Sky. You're going to come to my house until they get home, and they can tell you more."

But even at the age of six, Syd had a good understanding of people, and she knew what Will meant by "accident." Her eyes welled with tears. "Uncle Wes died?" The tears escaped as Will nodded.

She loved Uncle Wes, just like she loved Uncle Will and Uncle Dax and Uncle Tyzonn. Uncle Wes was always so happy. He told Syd that she was pretty and he teased her and he was Mommy and Daddy's friend…

Sydney knew how sad Auntie Jen had to be. And even though she didn't like Sky, Sydney felt sorry for him because his daddy was dead. She knew how sad she would be if she didn't have her daddy, so Syd decided the next time she saw Sky she would really try to be nice.

When she got to Uncle Will and Auntie Ronny's house, she didn't want to play with Logan or Caleb like she normally did. She asked Auntie Ronny for paper and some crayons, and when she got the materials Syd sat down at the table and made a card for Sky.

Syd worked diligently at this for nearly an hour before Rose arrived to take her home. Syd noticed that Mommy looked tired and sad. She gave Rose a big hug to cheer her up. "Hi, sweetheart," Rose murmured absently. "Are you ready to go?"

The little girl nodded and held out the card she had made. "I made this for Sky," Syd told her mother proudly.

For a moment, this statement didn't make any sense to Rose. The child prodigy knew how much Syd disliked Sky, but the look on Syd's little face showed how big a heart Syd really had. Rose managed a smile for Syd, "Oh, really? Let me see."

Rose looked at the piece of paper Sydney had drawn on. On the front corner was a little boy in blue, crying, and a little girl in pink holding his hand. On the inside was a big red heart with a jagged black line down the middle. Syd's loopy, clumsy printing was next to the heart, forming the words _I'm sorry, Sky. Your daddy was a nice man and he loved you._

Rose looked down at Syd's face. "I'm sure he'll like it very much, Sydney. It's a thoughtful thing to do."

"Mommy, why would Uncle Wes leave Auntie Jen and Sky?" Syd asked as she and her mother drove home. "Doesn't he know that they need him and love him?" The six year old was trying to make sense of the whole crazy, sad day, but she couldn't quite wrap her mind around the events.

"He didn't choose to leave, Syd, but Wes knew what his job was. He knew it was dangerous when he agreed to step up as a power ranger but he knew someone had to do it."

Sydney was quiet after that, unsure of what to say. When she got home, the first thing she did was find her father. "Hi, Daddy," she chirped, stretching her arms above her head to tell him she wanted to be picked up, "I love you." Syd wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing. "Don't go away, Daddy."

When Mack spoke, Syd could tell that he was trying not to cry. "I won't, baby. Not for a long, long time." Mack gave Syd an extra squeeze before setting her back on the ground. "I want you to be nice to Sky when we go to Uncle Wes' funeral. He's really upset, honey, and the childish bickering has to stop."

"I know, Daddy. I thought about how I would want someone to treat me if my daddy had just died, and I know I have to be nice."

"That's my big girl. Where's your mom, sweetie?"

"I think she went into the office," Syd replied. "Can I have a snack before dinner, Daddy?" Syd reached for the fridge door as Mack nodded and went off in search of his wife.

"Rose?" Mack called as he approached the room they had converted into their office. "Rose, are you in here?" He pushed the door open.

Rose was sitting at her desk, the card Syd had made for Sky clutched in her hands. "She made this for him. And here I thought she was spoiled. I don't think I've ever been prouder of our little girl, Mack. She has such a big heart…And poor Jen and Sky. They're such a close-knit family; they didn't deserve this."

Mack pulled Rose up from her chair and wrapped his arms around her slender frame in a tight hug. "He was a good man, and he was proud to do his duty to the galaxy. Rose, Wes was our _friend_ and you know this is how he would have wanted to go: fighting Mirloc…"

It was at this point that Syd crept away from the door, crying for what she had lost.

0o0o0o0

Wes' funeral was held a few days later. Syd proudly folded Sky's card into quarters and gave it to her mother to hold. When she saw her Auntie Jen, Syd ran and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Auntie Jen," she said sweetly. Jen was trying not to break down, but it was so hard, especially with Syd's unnecessary apology. "Where's Sky? I made him something."

This caught Jen by surprise, but after a moment she spotted Sky lurking near Eric Meyers. "He's with Uncle Eric. I'm sure whatever you made is lovely, Sydney." Jen gave the young girl a brave smile, but Sydney could see that it was wavering. She smiled back at Sky's mother before taking the card from Rose's purse and trotting over to Sky. He glared at her.

"Sky," Syd said in a quiet tone, "I made this for you." She held out the slightly battered picture for the older boy to take. He looked at it for a moment, puzzled as to why Syd would do something so nice for him. "It probably doesn't make you feel any better…but it's all I could do."

"No, Syd…it does. Thanks."

He had never called her by her shortened name before. He had always sneered "Sydney" or "stupid girl" if their parents were out of earshot. It told Syd that Sky accepted this small token from her, and maybe they could really be friends now. As Syd stood with him, proudly explaining that Ronny had helped her spell the message, she realized that Sky wasn't so bad after all.

"I really am sorry about your daddy," Sydney added. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her father coming to collect her, so she acted quickly. Syd smiled an apologetic smile before giving Sky a friendly hug. To her surprise, Sky returned the embrace.

When Sydney let go and spun around to face Mack, he was grinning down at her. "That was nice, Sydie. It's exactly what I meant the other day. Now come on; you have to come sit down before the service starts."

Mack held his daughter's hand as the two ventured back to Rose. Rose patted the seat next to her and Syd sat down next to her mother. The former pink ranger smoothed Syd's curls out of her eyes as the pastor began the service.

During the reception, the Hartfords kept watchful eyes on the family members Wes had left behind. Mack and Rose sat with Jen, forcing her to eat. Syd followed Sky everywhere he went, trying desperately to cheer him up. When the gathering drew to a close, Jen approached her son, arms stretched out to hold him. Sky drew away as quickly as he could. "No."

"Sky?" Jen questioned, hurt by her son's actions. They needed to be a family right now, not run away form each other. "It's time to go home." Her voice was a little colder.

"No," Sky repeated angrily, "I don't want to. Dad's not going to be there and I don't want to be there either."

Rose had been nearby, helping Sydney into her pink coat. She could see how her friend was struggling with Sky, and an idea came to her. "Sky, you can come stay with us tonight, it it's OK with your mother." The two pink rangers met each other's gaze over the tops of their children's heads, and Jen nodded.

"I'll get him his clothes," Jen agreed, "What do you say to Aunt Rose and Uncle Mack, Sky?"

"Thank you." Sky followed his mother out to the car.

The quick ride to the Collins home was spent in silence between mother and son. Jen unlocked the front door and Sky ran up to his room. He emptied his backpack of his school things and piled pajamas and a change of clothes in it.

"Remember to get your toothbrush, Sky!" Jen called from the bottom of the stairs. He marched into his bathroom and took his blue toothbrush out of its holder. He dropped this into his backpack as well and then snuck into his parents' bedroom.

When Jen has started going through Wes' things the day after he died, Sky had found a picture of a blond family. On the back of the picture was an unfamiliar writing forming the words: _Dana, Carter, and Syd, Mariner Bay Park, April 2004._

The baby Sydney in the picture was Aunt Rose and Uncle Mack's daughter, of that Sky was certain. It was too much of a coincidence. But they weren't in the picture…Sky had thought about it and had come to the conclusion that Rose and Mack weren't Syd's real parents. She didn't look like either of them.

He put this picture in his backpack as proof. Something told him it was wrong, especially since she'd been nice today, but a much larger part of him wanted someone to hurt as badly as he was.


	6. Chapter 6

**My Mom is a Teacher**

Rose was happy to see how well Syd and Sky seemed to be getting along. She watched with a smile as the two children began building a city with Syd's impressive Lego collection. "I'll build the fire station and the hospital," Syd spoke up. "Will you make the houses and the stores?"

Sky nodded and began to snap the multi-colored bricks together. "You know, I thought a girl would try to make me play Barbies or pretend to be grownups, like 'house' or whatever it is that girls play. This is a lot more fun than anything I expected from you."

Rose walked into Sydney's room with a set of clean sheets. "Nice to see you getting along," she commented as she walked over to the day bed. Rose set the many stuffed animals on the floor and made the bed up for Sky. "This city is really coming along," Rose told the children. "Does the city have a name?"

"I think it should be Ocean Bluff," Sky said, naming a city where a team of rangers had been a few years before. "Those rangers were so cool! They had animal powers and the red ranger had the strength of a tiger. Tigers are…"

Rose didn't listen to the rest of Sky's reasoning. She smiled at the children as she got up and left Syd's room quietly. "You have another hour before bed."

'_An hour,'_ Sky thought, _'That should be plenty of time to tell Syd about Aunt Rose and Uncle Mack's little secret.'_ His conscience nagged at him again, but Sky once again ignored it. If his whole life had to be changed in such a hurtful way, then so did Syd's. "We could get ready for bed now so we still have a lot of time to play before the hour is up," he suggested.

"OK," Syd agreed. She got up from the floor and crossed to her dresser, taking out a pair of pajamas with pink cupcakes on them. "You can get dressed in the bathroom."

Sky nodded and picked up his backpack. He shut the door to Syd's bedroom behind him and walked down the hall to the bathroom. He changed into his blue sweats and a white T-shirt and stood outside Syd's room until she opened the door. He walked inside, and the malicious glee he felt at what he was about to do was quite clear in his body language.

Casually, Sky reached into his backpack for the picture. He dropped it and it fluttered down to the floor. Syd leaned over and picked it up, figuring that it was a picture of Sky's father. "Who are they?" she asked when she saw the blond trio instead of Uncle Wes. "Why do you have a picture of them?"

"My mom and dad were friends with your mom and dad. That's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Sky looked at Syd's confused face and smirked. "Don't you recognize your own parents, Sydney?"

"My mommy and daddy are downstairs. Those people in the picture aren't my parents. You're being silly, Sky."

"Why don't you go ask your parents about it if you don't believe me?" Sky taunted. Syd felt her lip tremble and she nodded defiantly towards the older boy.

"Alright then, I will," Syd said. She stood up and kept her head high as she crossed her bedroom to the door. Sky laughed as he watched her, but then a fresh wave of guilt rolled through him. Maybe he shouldn't have shown her the picture. Maybe he should have let Uncle Mack and Aunt Rose explain to Syd on their own time, rather than force the situation.

When Syd found her parents, they were sitting side by side on the couch in the living room, talking quietly. They looked up at their daughter, smiling warmly. "Hi, sweetheart. Come sit down," Mack offered. Syd shook her head at her father's invitation and the Hartfords exchanged a wary glance. "Is everything OK?"

Sydney held out the picture. "Sky says that these people are my mommy and daddy. He…he's not right, is he?" Rose took the picture from Syd's small hand and looked at it for a long moment.

"Honey, we have to tell her," Mack spoke up, reaching for Rose's hand. She nodded in agreement with her husband and patted the spot next to her. Syd climbed up between her parents and the two adults looked down at her, trying to explain.

"We love you very much, Sydney, so really it doesn't matter…but you do need to know. The people in the picture, Dana and Carter, are your biological parents."

"Bia – bio – what?"

"It means that they're your parents by blood," Mack clarified. "You remember when Auntie Ronny was pregnant with Logan and then with Caleb? They're her biological children. Do you understand now?" Syd bobbed her head in comprehension.

"She's my tummy mommy?" Syd asked, pointing at Dana. "She's so pretty…"

Rose ignored the hurt that this statement brought her. "I guess that's one way to look at it, yes. She and Carter died in an att – accident when you were just a baby. We knew your parents, not well, but enough to know that they had a child who needed to be taken care of. We had lost our own daughter shortly before your parents' accident, and we couldn't have any other kids…"

Mack reached for Rose and cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears softly. "We were going to tell you eventually, Sydie, but you're still so young…I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"Did they love me?"

"Of course they did," Rose said firmly. "Just like Daddy and I do." Rose pulled away from Mack's touch and gathered her young daughter in her arms. "Is there anything else you would like to know?" she asked as she stroked Syd's golden curls.

"Why am I different?" Syd asked in a shaking voice.

"Uh…well, I –"

"We don't know," Rose said hastily. "But it only happened one time. It could have been a fluke, sweetie. No one can be sure if it'll ever happen again."

Sydney nodded. "I think I need to go to sleep." Mack looked at Syd, studying her closely. She always put up a fight when it was bedtime. But when she looked back at him, totally sincere, he could not find an ulterior motive for Syd's statement.

"I'll tuck you in," Mack offered. Sydney was shifted from Rose's arms to Mack's and then he brought her upstairs to her pink bedroom. Sky was sitting on the day bed, looking ashamed of himself. He looked up when Uncle Mack came in carrying the petite form of Sydney, guilt plain on his face.

Sydney was careful to keep her gaze on anything but Sky as her father tucked her into bed. She rolled over to face the wall. "Good night honey," Mack said quietly, "I love you."

Sky still looked ashamed as he made eye contact with the man he regarded as his uncle. "I'm sorry, Uncle Mack. That was bad for me to do, wasn't it? You and Aunt Rose not being Syd's real parents is none of my business."

Mack sat down next to Sky on the day bed. He put his arm around the younger boy's shoulders in a typical dad gesture. "It was wrong of you, but I can see that you're sorry for what you did." The former red ranger dropped his voice to a whisper, "But you might want to find some way to apologize to Syd. I think it really hurt her feelings that you went out of your way to be mean to her. She was trying so hard to be nice to you."

"I know, Uncle Mack."

"You'll do the right thing, buddy," Mack said confidently. "Night. Lights out, OK? I'll see you in the morning." Mack crossed his daughter's bedroom, pausing to switch the light off. He stood outside the closed door and after a moment he heard another pair of feet cross the room. When Mack heard Sky whisper Syd's name, he smiled to himself before returning to the ground floor.

Back in Sydney's bedroom, Sky was sitting on Syd's bed, shaking her shoulder gently. "Syd, will you just let me talk to you? I know showing you the picture was mean and not my job in the first place. I really am sorry. It – I – how do I fix it?"

Syd rolled over to look at him, but the anger was still in her eyes. "You can't. Daddy said they would have told me when they were ready. I hate you, Sky. Just go to sleep and leave me alone."

"I wanted you to be hurt, too. I mean, I just lost my dad and here you are, with the perfect mom and dad who love you. I was jealous."

"I guess my mommy and daddy aren't perfect. They lied to me my whole life. But Sky…even if you were jealous, why is it my fault that Uncle Wes died? I was sad for you, and you did something too mean for me to accept your apology. I don't want to talk to you ever again, Sky. Leave. Me. Alone."

"I'm sorry," he said again quietly. The older boy went back to the day bed and crawled between the sheets, feeling angry with himself and miserable at the fact that Syd wouldn't forgive him.

Down in the Hartfords' living room, Rose was curled up in Mack's lap, her brown eyes sad as they looked at her husband. She hid her face in his chest and a minute later his arms were draped over her comfortingly. "She must hate us," Rose said in a muffled voice. "We should have told Syd the truth sooner."

"Baby, Syd is only six years old. She hardly knows what 'biological' or 'adoptive' means. I think if we had tried to explain when Syd was younger all we would have done was confuse and upset her. Under the circumstances, I think Syd was more angry with Sky than she was with us. She took it very well for being six."

"I hope she knows that it doesn't matter to us. I love my little girl, even if she's not mine by blood."

"Sweetheart, Syd knows you love her. Just give her some space so she can make sense of everything that just happened. She'll realize it doesn't matter in her own time; don't try to rush it. And don't smother her with attention tomorrow. When Syd's ready, she'll come to us."

Rose knew her husband was right, so she removed her face from its hiding spot and let him see her nod. "That's my girl," Mack added when Rose showed her agreement with his words. "I love you, Rosie. Always."

"I love you, too." Rose smiled a brave smile.

Later, when she went upstairs to get ready for bed, she peeked inside Syd's room. Both children were asleep, their backs turned on each other. Mack had been right when he had told her that Sydney was angry with Sky. Rose crept inside the room, pulling the blankets over Sky where he had kicked them off.

Rose stood there beside the sleeping boy, crouched over him, wondering why he had told Syd about the Graysons being Syd's biological parents. Where had he gotten the photo in the first place?

The former pink ranger moved to Sydney's bed and perched on its edge. "Oh baby," she whispered, "I am so sorry." Rose smoothed a curl out of her daughter's closed eyes, pondering just how different she and Sydney's relationship would be now that Sydney knew she and Mack hadn't brought her into the world. Rose prayed desperately that Syd would be beyond her years and realize that she was loved by the Hartfords.


	7. Chapter 7

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Three Years Later**o0o0

When Syd was nine, her Auntie Ronny was pregnant again, this time with her first daughter. The former yellow ranger had begged Rose to go shopping for decorations for the soon-to-be baby girl's room, and Rose had agreed. She brought Syd along with her and left Will and Mack to watch the boys.

While Ronny looked at wallpaper samples, occasionally asking for Rose's input, Syd skipped around in small circles, singing a current pop song. Mom had promised that she could get some new jeans when Ronny had finished choosing things for the baby's room. Sydney loved going clothes shopping. And shoe shopping. All shopping, really. She waited for Mom and Auntie Ronny to finish, growing impatient.

"OK, honey," Rose said as Ronny went to place her orders for paints and wallpapers. "We're going to get lunch and then we'll go shopping."

'_Grownups,'_ Sydney thought as she led the way to the food court, _'They always have ten things to do before they keep their promises. Ugh.'_

Syd ate her cheeseburger as fast as she could. Ronny looked amused at Syd's impatience as she ate her lunch. "Rose," Ronny chirped, "You take Syd to do her shopping. I'll catch up."

Rose looked at Sydney's eager face and then back at Ronny, who nodded. "Come on, Syd." Syd sprang from her chair and went to throw the food wrappers away as Rose studied her friend. She didn't like to leave Ronny alone in a mall when she was pregnant, but Syd looked so happy… "Are you sure? Syd can wait five minutes."

"She's been waiting all day for this," Ronny pointed out, "Let her have her fun. I'll catch up. I'm the one with super speed, remember?"

"We're just going to Macy's," Rose said, "If we go anywhere else, I'll call you." The former pink ranger turned to her daughter, who had just returned from tossing the trash out. "Come on, Syd." Rose liked that she and Syd could do the mother-daughter shopping trips, but Syd always made everything into a production. The former pink ranger knew that trying on a few pairs of jeans would take her at least an hour. Though only nine, Syd had high standards.

Sydney chatted happily as they went to the department store. "My friend Amanda has these white jeans with little butterfly patches on them. Do you think I could get some like that?" she asked as the pair found their way to the girls' department. "Oh, Mom, look!"

The tiny blond was pointing to a display board advertising a modeling show. Rose read the poster and realized why Syd was so excited. The people in charge of the modeling show needed child models. "Honey, I don't know about this. I'm sure it would be a lot of fun, but it would have to be a one time thing. You wouldn't be a supermodel by the time you're a teenager…and I think-"

"Mom, please? Can't I just try it?" Syd looked up at her mom with big blue eyes, pleading.

"Why don't we go look for your clothes? Before we leave the store we'll decide, OK, Syd?"

Sydney grinned. She knew her mother's resolve was weakening. "That sounds fair, Mom," Syd mewed as she dragged Rose off to look at jeans.

The young girl had picked a few pairs to try on within ten minutes. As she was in the dressing room, Ronny arrived. "Hey," Ronny greeted Rose, who was waiting outside for Syd to finish. "Did you see the advertisement for the fashion show? I think Syd would be perfect for something like that. It's fun, it involves clothes, and it puts her in the spotlight."

"Don't let her hear you say that, please," Rose said darkly. "I don't want her to get into that industry. It's so fast paced and so many girls get sucked into it…before they know it they're in over their heads and completely different people and-"

"You're way over analyzing, Rose. It's a kids' fashion show. It's for one afternoon."

Syd strutted out of the dressing room then, swaying her hips like she'd seen models do on TV. "I like these ones, Mom." Rose stepped to Syd then, checking how low the hems of the pants hung and how much room Syd would have to grow into them. Finally, she nodded.

"You can get them." She threw a glare towards Ronny, "Do you want to sign up to be a model for the show? You can if you want to." Syd's face lit up as she nodded eagerly.

"Really? I can?" Rose heaved a sigh.

"Yes. How about you finish trying your jeans on and then we'll sign you up." Syd skipped back into the dressing room, excited about the prospect of being a model. This would be the coolest! All of her friends would be so jealous when she told them about her new activities. She joined her mother and her aunt out in the main part of the store.

Rose took her daughter to the counter to pay for Syd's new jeans. "Excuse me, but how cold I get more information for the fashion show? My daughter wants to be a model for it."

"Oh, here," said the salesgirl, pulling out a form. "Just fill this out and we'll call you with more information." She peeked over the counter at Sydney. "You have a beautiful daughter. Have you thought about looking into her modeling professionally?"

"No. She just wants to give it a try." Rose nudged Syd subtly, reminding her of her manners.

"Thank you," Syd said brightly. She took the bag with her new jeans in it from the girl as her mother filled out the application. Ronny joined the other two as they left the store, grinning at Syd's happy chattering. "Everyone is gonna be so jealous when I get famous. I'm going to be on TV and magazine covers…"

0o0o0o0

The director of the show liked the description of Syd Rose had put on the form. He called the family in to meet with him. When they arrived, Mr. Doyle pounced. "She's gorgeous," he told Rose and Mack. "Is this your first time modeling, Syd?"

"Yes," Syd answered. "What do I get to wear? Can it be pink? I love pink." She pointed unnecessarily to her pink shirt and pink shoes.

"We'll have to see what's available," Mr. Doyle smiled. "We want Syd to participate in the show for certain. She'll get some training on how to walk down the runways and there'll be a professional photographer at the shoot so she can add this to her résumé."

"Résumé?" Rose repeated. "I'm not sure about this. My husband and I support our daughter in wanting to try new things, but a résumé seems a little excessive. Syd may not even like modeling."

"I might love it," Sydney told her mother. "Maybe-"

Mack reached over and put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Honey, Mom is just trying to look out for you." He turned his attention back to the director, "Now, do we have a contract so sign or anything? Rose is right; we do need to know exactly what we're getting into here."

"There's no contract, Mr. Hartford, Syd's working on a volunteer basis. If she likes it and is interested in doing some more modeling I have contacts at some local agencies that can tell you more."

"Fair enough," Rose said after she and her husband had exchanged a quick glance, "So you're offering a class to teach Sydney the walking technique? When is that?"

Mr. Doyle looked at his schedule, "There are a few girls here now. Are you busy this afternoon? If Syd stays we can do a group lesson."

"That sounds good!" Sydney spoke up. She turned to look at her parents, "Mom, Daddy, we're not busy today, are we? I wanna learn so I can practice more before the show next week."

Rose took one look at her daughter's eager face and her heart just melted. "No, we're not busy."

0o0o0o0

Sydney's first show was a huge success. She wore the designer clothes and strutted down the runway with such grace and ease that she could have been modeling for years. She had fun being in the spotlight as Ronny had predicted. Rose could see the sparkled in Sydney's eyes as she modeled and when Syd had gone and the next girl had come out, she looked at Mack.

"Syd's having fun." Rose leaned over in her chair to rest her head on Mack's shoulder, "I get the feeling that this isn't going to be the last time that Syd models. And I can see that she enjoys it, but I'd really like for her to have a normal childhood."

"I think Syd's as normal as she can be, honey. She's a little girl who loves the color pink and has a lot of friends. She likes ice cream and puppies and hates boys. Syd is plenty normal, Rosie."

When Syd found her parents after the show, she was still beaming with happiness. "That is so much fun! I really liked it. Mom, remember how Mr. Doyle said he knew some people at modeling agencies? Can we talk to one of them? I want to model more."

"We'll look into it," Rose promised. "You were great, sweetheart. You looked so grown up and pretty."

"You did, Sydie," Mack agreed. "You put the other girls to shame."

0o0o0o0

Sydney was offered a contract by one of the top modeling agencies in the state. Rose looked the contract over carefully, and then had the family lawyer do the same. Rose felt it necessary to add one thing. "My daughter is only nine. If they try to get her into something she doesn't feel comfortable with, the contract is null and void. She's just a kid and no one needs to see too much of her." The modeling agency agreed to Rose's addition and the contract was signed.

Within a year, Syd had done what seemed like hundreds of shoots. Rose and Mack stayed close to their baby, making sure she wasn't too tired or hungry to work and that she had finished her schoolwork. Rose especially made sure Syd took school seriously. "You're a beautiful, smart girl, Sydney. Modeling won't be forever, but your knowledge will be."

Syd listened to her mother's words and usually devoted two hours a day to keeping up with math, reading, science and history. But when that was over, it was off to work. And Sydney loved modeling. The clothes were beautiful and soft and the other girls were so pretty and nice…

She got a wide range of work, from casual fun clothes to Sunday clothes to sneakers to sandals. Rose looked over everything her daughter wore with the watchful, protective eyes of a mother, checking that nothing was too short or too tight before giving the all clear.

When Sydney was ten, she landed her first magazine cover. It was for a preteen magazine that she and her friends read cover to cover every month. She was very excited as she got dressed for the shoot and had her hair and make up done.

"Mom, I can't believe I get to be on the cover of J-14. Did you know that they only pick the hottest young stars to be on their covers? I must be getting up there. Maybe I'll get to do a show in Milan in a few years. You're not a famous model until you've modeled in Milan."

The shoot was a success, and the magazine sold nearly a million copies that month. Syd had "gotten up there" as she had predicted. About a week after the magazine appeared on newsstands, she got a call from someone very unexpected.

"It's for you!" Mack called up the stairs. Syd picked up the phone in her parents' room.

"Hello?" Syd asked. She knew it couldn't have been any of her friends or Daddy would have said so. The voice on the other end was familiar as it answered.

"Hi, it's Sky." He sounded nervous.

"Hello," Syd repeated primly. "What do you want?" It had been almost four years since Sky had shown her the picture of her biological parents and she had never forgiven him.

"I saw you on the magazine. You looked really pretty, Syd. I just wanted to tell you."

"Oh." Sydney hadn't expected this from him. "Thanks, Sky."

"You're welcome. Hey, Syd, I know what I did was mean…but I'm sorry and we could be friends if you would stop holding it against me."

There was a note of sincerity in his voice that Sydney couldn't ignore. "OK. We'll be friends."


	8. Chapter 8

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Six Years Later**o0o0

Sydney continued to model over the years, as well as release a CD. She had a nice, bubbly voice – perfect for pop songs. The CD went multi-platinum within weeks, and every time she got into her car she heard her own voice coming out of the speakers.

Syd also stayed in contact with Sky, confiding her hopes and her fears; listening when he did the same. When he told her he was leaving his home in Silver Hills to join SPD, Syd was secretly terrified that she'd lose him, but she told him something entirely different. After all, he aspired to be like his father.

"Sky," Syd said in that bouncy pop star voice, "That's great. I'm so proud of you. Just promise me you'll be careful. For your mom, I mean. She needs you."

"I'll be careful. I don't even start at the academy until the end of August." Sky was quiet for a moment, "Hey, Syd, what are you doing this summer?"

It was the end of May and the summer loomed ahead of them, long and lazy. "I'm taking a break this summer. I've been working pretty much six years straight and I want a summer to think about what I'm gonna do next. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if I could maybe hang out with you if you were going to be at home. My mom has this new boyfriend who's been hanging around, and they're really…_together_." The way he said "together" told Syd exactly what he meant by that.

Syd thought it was cute that Aunt Jen had a boyfriend, but she found it weird that Sky had told her about the public displays of affection. Aunt Jen had never been a touchy-feely person, not even with Uncle Wes. The most she'd ever seen Sky's parents do was hold hands. Syd remembered Wes once telling her that Jen had been a lot tougher before they'd gotten married and had Sky. So if strong, independent Jen was soft _now…_

"Your mom deserves a new guy. It's been ten years, Sky." She was quiet for a moment, but when Sky didn't say anything, she spoke again. "And of course we're gonna hang out. But why don't you just stay here? Driving back and forth is just gonna kill your car. And plus, if you're off to SPD in the fall, I want to spend as much time as we can together.

"But your parents won't-"

"My parents love you. I'll ask if it's OK and I'll let you know by tomorrow."

"Sure you won't get sick of me? Two months is a long time." He laughed.

Sydney did, too. "I'm sure. You're like my best friend, Sky. I'm not gonna get tired of you." Somewhere in the background came Aunt Jen's voice calling Sky to dinner. "I'll let you go. Tell your mom I said hi." She smiled, even though Sky couldn't see her.

"I'll tell her. Bye, Syd."

"Bye." Syd hung up the phone and went down to the kitchen. "Hey Mom," she greeted her mother, who was taking dinner out of the oven. Syd looked over at the table and saw that there weren't plates on it yet. She skipped across to the kitchen to the cabinet and took out three plates.

Rose paused in her dinner preparations to stare at her daughter. Syd had a heart of gold, she really did, but she wasn't one to help out without being told to first. "How's Sky?" Rose asked. Syd had never admitted it, but Rose knew her daughter had a crush on the older boy.

"Sky is great," Syd answered, "Did you know Aunt Jen has a boyfriend?" She opened the silverware drawer and pulled out three knives and three forks. She placed these on the table next to the plates.

"Jen has a boyfriend?" Mack questioned as he entered the kitchen. He smiled at his daughter before crossing to his wife. Mack leaned down for a quick kiss before stealing a bite of the baked chicken Rose had made for dinner. "Well, it's about time, I guess. She's worked so hard over the last ten years, raising Sky and running their family business once Wes' dad stepped down."

Rose served dinner onto a platter and brought it over to the kitchen table. She, Mack, and Syd sat down. "You're in a good mood," Rose told Syd, "What did Sky say that made you so happy?"

"He's starting SPD at the end of August."

Rose's brown eyes widened. "That's a very dangerous line of work," she said, choosing her words carefully. "What are you happy about that? He could get hurt."

"I'm not happy about that; just the idea of it terrifies me. He said he wanted to hang out over the summer before he leaves and I go on to do whatever it is I'm gonna do come autumn. And then I said he should just stay here with us. It would just be a waste for him to keep driving back and forth." Syd looked from her mom to her dad, trying to gauge their reactions.

"Syd, sweetheart, you're only sixteen," Mack said gently, prepping her for the 'no' he and Rose were about to firmly lay down. "And Sky is-"

"Extended family," interrupted Sydney. "I mean, he calls you 'Uncle Mack' and 'Aunt Rose.' He's my friend, Dad, and we're not like that. All we're going to do is hang out."

Rose put down her silverware and looked at Sydney. "But Syd, you wish it was like that. Maybe not the whole time you've known him, but you do now." She reached for her daughter's hand, "So I think we have to say no on this."

"Mom, I swear, Sky's my friend and nothing else, no matter what I want. Please? We'd have so much fun, and who knows the next time I'll get to see him." Syd pouted. Rose looked over at Mack.

"He's in the guest room," Mack said after a minute, "But if he starts – if you and he – I don't want to see you get _too_ close, Syd. Understood?"

Syd squealed and got up from the table. She threw her arms around her father. "Thank you Daddy! Thanks, Mom!"

0o0o0o0

Sky arrived during the first week of June. Syd ran out to hug him, and he returned the embrace. When Rose and Mack joined the other two, Sky shook Mack's hand and kissed Rose's cheek. "Thanks for letting me stay, Aunt Rose, Uncle Mack. I won't be any trouble, I promise."

Rose and Mack nodded. "Come on Sky, I'll show you your room," Syd piped up. Sky followed her inside. Rose looked at Mack, who smiled down at her before wrapping his arm around Rose's waist.

"He _is_ a good kid."

The former pink ranger sighed, "I know he is. I know Jen and Wes raised him right, but he's also _older_ than Syd and he definitely took after Wes." She started up the drive again, her husband at her side, "But why am _I_ the one who's being overprotective? You're Syd's dad."

"I trust Syd and Sky to do things properly. I _have_ to, if I plan on getting any sleep at all this summer. Plus, they _are_ just friends…for now, anyway." Mack kissed the top of Rose's head.

Up in the guest room, Syd flopped down on the bed. "So what do you want to do first? We could go to the beach, or to the movies. Or we could walk downtown and I could show you the sights…I could go shopping…" She smiled his favorite dazzling smile, waiting for him to decide.

"San Angeles has sights?" Sky teased. He dropped his duffel bags on the floor and sat down next to Syd on the bed. She leaned over and hit him. He laughed. "Just kidding. We could walk down the boardwalk, maybe hit that carnival."

"Why Schuler, are you suggesting we do something fun?" Syd pretended to look shocked. "Who are you and what did you do with my grumpy Sky?"

"He went away. He's not coming back til he starts SPD. Seriously, Syd, I know you and I know you love doing kid stuff. Since you helped me escape my mom and Luke's love fest, I am up for anything you suggest."

Syd grinned evilly and seized Sky's hand. With force Sky wouldn't have imagined her capable of, the petite blond pulled him out of the room and down the stairs. "Mom, Dad, Sky and I are going out for awhile! We'll be back before dinner!"

Mack caught his daughter at the door and slipped a twenty into her hand. "Have fun, Syd. Sky, don't let her get too distracted at whatever store she's dragging you to."

Syd rolled her eyes.

0o0o0o0

About an hour later, the two were strolling down the boardwalk, ice cream cones in hand. Syd stopped to look at a stall selling jewelry, and Sky noticed a group of guys checking her out. He felt concerned and protective instinctively. One of the guys, a man with brown hair and green eyes, approached.

"Hey man, is she your sister?" he asked Sky. Sky shook his head. "Your girlfriend?" the other guy asked, disappointment in his voice now.

For a moment, Sky was tempted to answer yes. "Syd's just my friend."

"Sweet," hissed the other guy. He stood there for a moment, until Syd turned around again.

"OK, we can go now – who are you?"

"Name's Jonathon, but you can call me Jon." Sky watched as Syd grinned at Jon and struck up a conversation. Surely she wouldn't be flirting back unless she found him attractive. Sky frowned and tossed his half melted ice cream into the trash. When he looked up again, Syd was putting a number into her phone.

"Bye," Syd said Jon went to rejoin his friends. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and looked at Sky. "He was nice."

"He looked it," Sky lied. He hadn't seemed nice at all, but Syd looked so happy. Maybe Sky had been wrong and he and Syd _hadn't_ developed a mutual crush over the years of long phone calls and rare visits. Maybe he was just an older brother figure.

0o0o0o0

Jerk Jonathon continued to be a presence over the summer. Sky tagged along with Syd and her new boyfriend, feeling like a third wheel. He wanted to rip Jon's head off, but Syd was so _happy_ when her new boyfriend was around.

On a Friday night three weeks after Syd met Jon, her parents went out to dinner and naturally, she invited her loser boyfriend to come over. Sky could hardly stand to watch her with him. Couldn't she see how badly he treated her? Syd tended to pay for everything and she didn't seem to mind Jon grabbing her butt every chance he got.

Sky changed into a T-shirt and shorts and put on his running shoes. He had to get out of here, clear his head. Before he left, he looked out at Syd and Jon, who were sitting on the bench swing in the backyard. She was cuddled up against him, smiling at something he had said. Sky shook his head.

He was running like his life depended on it thirty seconds later. He tried to concentrate on the sound his shoes made against the pavement, but he had the strangest nagging feeling something was terribly wrong back at Syd's house. Sky doubled back.

Out in the Hartfords' yard, Syd's boyfriend pulled her a little closer. "I think you're really hot," Jon told her, "And now we're all alone. Your parents and that uptight friend of yours are gone. Who knows when they'll be back." His hand slipped under her shirt towards her breasts.

Syd took it out. "That's enough."

"But I want us too. I want us to _now_." He pushed her until she lay flat on the bench swing and got on top of her. Syd struggled against him, but he was heavy. He kissed her throat, and Syd screamed. She didn't want this, not with someone like him. She didn't want her choice to be taken away, not here, not now –

Sky entered the house quietly. He got into the kitchen, checking to make sure Syd was OK out in the yard. She was not.

Syd saw him standing there and then knew she was safe. Sky would save her.

The back door flew open and Sky came running out. He yanked Jon off of Syd and threw him to the ground. When Jon stood up, Sky promptly threw a punch into Jon's nose, connecting firmly. Blood spurted out of Jon's wound. "What the hell?" Jon demanded, coming closer, ready to fight.

Sky thought quickly. He spun around to face Syd and did something she'd never seen him do before: throw up a force field with the wave of his hand. She watched him, safe behind her blue shield, as Jon looked scared. "What a freak." He moved to push Sky, despite his fear. Sky waved his hand again, impervious to Jon's attacks.

"Get out," Sky said, towering over Syd's jerk of a boyfriend. "Unless, of course, you want me to keep rearranging your face. I'd be quite happy to. I'm sure Syd won't mind."

Jon moved towards the door. "Good choice," Sky said. "Don't you ever come near Syd again. I don't want to go to jail for murder." He gestured to the door and Jon ran off.

"Syd?" Sky asked gently. The force field vanished and Syd threw herself into his arms. Sky locked her in a tight hug, letting her cry. "Sweetheart, it's OK, I'm here." He'd never called her by any term of affection before. She liked how it sounded. "He's gone."

"I thought he was cute. That's all. I never wanted anything more than a casual summer fling from him. If you hadn't come…"

He kissed the top of her head.

"How did you know? I thought you were leaving. I saw you, you were dressed for a run."

"I did go running. I was halfway down the street when I got this feeling…I thought you needed me."

Syd looked up, meeting his blue gaze, "I did. Thank you." She buried her face against his chest again, and he moved a hand to her golden hair to stroke it.

Through the window, Syd and Sky were being watched by Mack and Rose. They'd seen what they'd thought was Syd's boyfriend's car careening around the corner as they returned home and had raced to their driveway and into their house. Obviously Syd was hurting, but the way Sky was holding her clearly stated that he was handling this. "Good thing he was here."

"Yeah," Rose agreed, "Good thing."


	9. Chapter 9

**My Mom is a Teacher**

Over the next few weeks, Syd stayed close to Sky, grateful for what he had done for her. As they walked along the hot sand of the beach or relaxed with a summer blockbuster in the movie theater, she fell in the habit of holding Sky's hand and resting her head on his shoulder. Sky was pleased as Syd grew more affectionate with him.

There were also a few assumptions made due to the nature of Syd's new gestures. Mack brought home a tabloid one day and dropped it on the table in front of Syd and Sky. The front cover had a snapshot of the pair on the beach, dressed in their swimming things. _"Syd's New Boy Toy?" _the hook read.

"I don't think this is true, you two," Mack began in his "Dad" voice, "But it _does_ imply…"

Syd rolled her eyes and snorted. "They blow everything out of proportion, Daddy," she said in a patient tone. "Sky and I are friends. The press is just stirring up things for the fun of it. I haven't been able to give them a story for a few months. They must be desperate."

Sky nodded his agreement. "Uncle Mack, you know there's nothing going on between Syd and me."

This appeased the former red ranger. He dropped the magazine in the trash and went off to find his wife. Syd shook her head.

"I love doing what I do. I just wish I didn't have someone taking a picture of me every time I turn around. I'm sorry for exposing you like that, Sky. I probably should have told you the paparazzi would be hanging around."

"No harm done, Syd. I've landed on a few tabloids myself." He chuckled, "You know, the family company _is_ kinda famous."

"Right." Syd always forgot about Sky's family owning Bio Labs. It wasn't something he mentioned often, and he definitely wasn't like other heirs to family fortunes and businesses. Sydney was sure Sky had gotten this trait from Uncle Wes.

Every night since Sky had saved Syd from Jon, they talked. They spoke during the day as well, of course, but at night they talked about more substantial, meaningful things, just like they had on the phone over the years. They would sit on top of Sydney's pink and blue checked bedspread, usually with a soda or ice cream and just talk until their throats were sore. They knew everything about each other.

There were only two topics that were completely out of bounds. One was Jon, and what he had tried to do to Syd that night.

The other was the end of the summer. Now it was July and they had just over a month left to them before Sky went of to SPD and Syd started her next project. It was an unspoken agreement between the two to not talk about what was to come for them. They wanted to enjoy what time they had together without putting any pressure on each other.

So the two spent their weeks together, trying to be happy, and knowing in the backs of their minds that things were going to change, and they were going to change very soon.

On a weekend close to the end of Sky's stay, the Hartfords hosted a going away barbeque for him. It consisted of the usual people who had flocked through the house all summer: the Astons, Tyzonn and Vella's family, and Dax. He didn't know any of Mack and Rose's ranger friends very well, but being around rangers – any rangers – always felt like home.

Syd was sitting at the picnic table with the Astons' daughter, Ruby, and Mina, Tyzonn and Vella's little girl. They were stringing beads to make bracelets and necklaces, and Syd looked so happy to be near children. It was plain to see that the younger girls idolized her. Sky thought Syd would make a wonderful mother one day.

He sat down next to her, across from the young girls. Mina and Ruby nudged each other, giggling. Sky ignored this, as well as Syd's curious gaze. He picked up the black cord and then took Syd's wrist in his hand. Now she really wanted to know what he was doing.

Sky measured a piece of cord to fit Syd's wrist and helped himself to Mina's supply of beads. "Sky?" Syd asked, but he shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Just pretend that I'm not here. Go back to what you were doing."

The girls shrugged and did as Sky had said. Mina told a story about a birthday party she had been to, and Ruby followed up with an anecdote of her older brothers Logan and Caleb getting themselves in trouble for breaking some of their father's spy equipment.

Right before the burgers were ready, Sky's mother arrived, her boyfriend in tow. "Aunt Jen!" Syd cried, throwing her arms around the former pink ranger in greeting. "You look great," Syd chirped sincerely. "Come on out back; Dad says lunch is about to be ready."

Jen had always found it easy to like Sydney. Syd had all the same qualities as Wes that Jen had secretly found endearing. She was upbeat and bouncy, brightening up the world wherever she went. "Alright," Jen said evenly. "Syd, this is Luke, my um –"

"Your boyfriend," interrupted Sky from behind Syd. His voice was cold. Syd frowned as she watched sky hug his mother stiffly and kiss her cheek. He scowled at Luke, who quickly withdrew his hand. Jen frowned at her son, her expression a mirror of Syd's.

"Hi, Luke," Sydney said after a moment of silence. "I'm Syd, and Aunt Jen must –"

The four were interrupted by Rose, who came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and holding her forehead. "Hello, Jen," Rose greeted her sister in color. "I'm Rose," she added to Luke. "I'm so glad you could come. Er…I mean…of course you came, Sky's your son…I'm sorry, it was just so hot in the kitchen and the boys are fighting. I have a headache." She rubbed her temples and then gestured towards the back door. Jen and Luke followed.

"You're very rude, you know," Syd told Sky with a frown on her face. "Your mother is allowed to be happy. I want you to be nice to her and to Luke. They came all this way for you."

"I know, Syd. I just think they could be a little less flamboyant about it. She was never like that with my dad. Didn't he mean anything to her?"

"Of course he did." Syd strode off and Sky followed her into the bathroom, where Syd took a bottle of aspirin from the medicine cabinet and brought it to her mother. "Here, Mom. For your headache," Syd chirped sweetly. Rose smiled gratefully.

Sky collected two cheeseburgers for he and Syd to eat, and the two flopped down on the grass. "So," Syd said in a lighthearted voice, "Since when do you make things with beads?"

Sky dug into his pocked and pulled out a bracelet in a pattern of pink, red and blue beads. He slipped it on over Syd's wrist. "I made it for you."

"Thanks, Sky," Syd said softly. "I love it."

0o0o0o0

On the morning Sky was to leave for New Tech, Syd walked out to his car with him. He threw the last bag into the trunk and turned to face his petite friend. Her blue eyes were so, so sad. Sky stretched his arms out to her, drawing her into a hug. "Be safe," Syd whispered.

He kissed the top of her head, just like he had all those weeks ago. "I'll try to call when I get there. I don't know how long orientation takes."

She nodded and continued to cling to him, trying to make him stay with her where she would know he was safe. "OK." Syd's voice sounded uncertain. She touched the bracelet around her wrist. She wondered when she would see him next. Syd gave him an extra squeeze before letting him go.

Her parents came out then to say good-bye. "Thanks for having me. Hope I didn't cause too many problems." Sky grinned and shook his Uncle Mack's hand. "You really made me feel welcome."

"You're practically family," Mack told the younger man. Rose nodded in agreement with her husband, but her eyes were focused on her daughter. Syd was looking at the ground, trying not to cry.

Sky glanced at his watch. "I have to get on the road. Bye, and thanks again." Before he could move, Syd had thrown her arms around him once more and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Come on Syd, don't cry. I'll be fine, and you know it."

She nodded, but he could still see tears sparkling in her eyes. Rose stepped forward to hug her daughter as Sky opened the driver's side door and slid into his car. "Bye," Syd whispered.

Syd stood on the sidewalk outside of her home, watching her best friend drive away, until her mom guided her into the house. "Come in, Syd," Rose murmured, "I'll make waffles." Sydney followed her mother into the kitchen and sat at the table. Mack squeezed his daughter's shoulder.

0o0o0o0

Syd did not know what to do with herself. Sky had been gone for a month, and she was still miserable. He was always in the back of her mind, no matter what she did. It was driving her crazy.

She wanted to do something exciting, something new. She didn't want to model or work on a new CD. She didn't want to put out a clothing line or do some traveling. But nothing seemed appealing to her, so most days she tagged along with her dad to his job.

"I really like this lighting," Mack said conversationally. He was taking some pictures of a local festival for the San Angeles Times. Syd didn't say anything. Mack sighed quietly and adjusted the angle of his shot. He took several pictures from this position before turning to his daughter again. "Can I have the Nikon now?"

Syd handed him a different camera from the bag, still silent. Mack frowned. "Syd, it's not the end of the world. I know it seems like it is, but it's really not. You'll see him again. And moping around with no goals to speak of isn't like you, nor is it healthy."

"It's not just Sky, Dad. I don't know what to do now. I want something different, something challenging and exciting. Any ideas?"

"Go to school. You'd have fun in college."

"Dad, I hardly went to regular high school. It was mostly correspondence work, and I got my diploma two years early. I don't want more school. Not right now, anyway."

Mack gave his daughter a big bear hug and then kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Sydie, you'll figure it out. And you'll be great." He grinned, and Syd felt better. Dad always knew what to say.

0o0o0o0

Syd tossed and turned in her bed that night. She was having a nightmare about Sky.

_He was in a red ranger uniform, fighting the bad guys. He was doing a great job…until there was a sneak attack from one of the monsters. He fell to the ground, his uniform torn to reveal a huge gash across his back._

_He was bleeding, the ruby red liquid forming a pool around him. The leering monster advanced, ready to strike again._

Syd woke up, feeling beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She picked Peanuts up from the floor and pressed her face into him. The old stuffed animal had always had a special form of comfort for Syd. She sat there in bed, shaking from her dream, clutching her stuffed animal. She wanted to call Sky, but it was the middle of the night.

As Sydney's heart rate slowed back to its normal pace, she was able to think more rationally. Sky could not possibly be a ranger yet. He was still in the lower ranks at the academy. He was safe, probably in his own bed, fast asleep.

Syd lay down under her pink and blue blanket, trying to get back to sleep. Sky was safe at SPD. SPD…

She sat up again, knowing she had just had a sort of epiphany. She would go to SPD. It was new, challenging…it would allow her to be close to Sky. Yes, she would register for the academy first thing tomorrow morning.

At breakfast the next morning, she was overly cheerful. "Sleep well?" Rose asked as she took a sip of coffee. Syd shook her head as she sat down at the table with her bagel.

"Actually, I had a nightmare." Rose's brown eyes widened and she looked at Sydney with concern. "But it's OK. It helped me figure things out."

"Good for you," Mack spoke up. He was glad to hear this; he knew how Syd had been struggling to figure out the next phase of her life. "So you gonna come with me today?" Mack pointed to the camera bag sitting on the counter.

"Not today, Dad," Syd replied. She took another bite of her breakfast and smiled at her father when she had swallowed. "I have some things to do."

When her parents had gone, she took a shower, excited about her plans for the day. Maybe she would even get to see Sky. They could go to lunch, and he could show her around…

Syd stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear. SPD was practically a branch of the military, she reasoned, so maybe camouflage would work. She had a fantastic pair of camouflage pants. Syd took those from their hanger and found a plain white T-shirt to go with her parts. There, the perfect outfit.

Syd had never been to the academy, but it was easy to find. She parked her silver car in the visitor's lot and strode inside like she owned the place. To the girl behind the counter she said, "I'd like to register."

The girl took one look at Syd's expensive clothes and designer purse and tried not to laugh. "Oh, you're serious. Hold on a second. I have to speak to the commander."

Syd stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, impatient. Couldn't she just sign a few papers and be done with it already?

The girl came back with an alien dog that Syd thought must be the commander. "Hello, Sydney," he said in a gravelly voice. Syd was puzzled for a moment, wondering how he knew her. He didn't seem the type to keep up with pop culture.

"Sir," she greeted. That seemed polite and respectful.

"I understand you want to join us." Sydney nodded. "Well, we'll take a look at these papers. I must tell you, Sydney, that this organization is made up of a lot of hard working people. It will be a challenge, but you seem determined. I respect that."

Syd filled out what seemed like hundreds of forms and then took a physical examination. "You're in top shape. Now you'll just take this placement test and we'll be able to give you a spot."

She was placed on "C Squad" and her teammates were: Harrington, Dru; Carson, Bridge; and…Tate, Schuler.


	10. Chapter 10

**My Mom is a Teacher**

Syd arrived back at her home about an hour before Rose's last class ended. She knew her parents wouldn't be too pleased about her new hobby, so she decided to tidy up a bit before they got home. She started with the front room.

She hung up jackets in the hall closet and lined up shoes by the door. She vacuumed the rug and sprayed air freshener before moving on to the kitchen.

Needless to say, Rose was very surprised when she arrived home to see Syd cleaning. "Who are you and what did you do with my daughter?" asked the former pink ranger. She glanced around, "The house looks great, Syd, and I appreciate the effort…but it makes me suspicious. What did you do today?"

"Mom, I know this is really unlike me, but you'll see why I needed to when we have dinner. Speaking of which, the steaks can go in now. I used that really good marinade, the Caribbean jerk one."

The front door opened and Mack walked in. His reaction to Syd's handiwork was similar to Rose's: he walked right up to Syd and put a hand on her forehead. "Are you feeling OK?"

"I'm fine, Dad."

Rose's voice was stiff, "She did something that we aren't going to like. She's buttering us up, aren't you, Syd?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Syd nodded. "Yep."

When the family sat down to dinner, Syd took a deep breath. "I know you want to know what I'll be doing, so I'll just say it: I registered for SPD today. I took the entrance exam and I've been assigned to a squad." She chose not to mention that Sky was on her new team: it would make her parents angrier.

"No." Rose's voice was quiet and deadly serious. "I don't think so. Tomorrow you'll go back and tell them that you made a mistake. You aren't going to SPD. End of discussion."

"Mom, that's not fair," Syd protested. "I thought about this. It's what I want. I can see why you would say that I can't, but I realize how dangerous it is. I just want a chance. I want to try."

"You just want to be close to Sky."

"God, do you think I'm that selfish? I won't deny that Sky is part of the reason, but I also know that going to SPD, helping people, making the world a better place, it's going to be so rewarding for me. I just know it."

Mack looked at his daughter's earnest face and knew that everything she was saying was true. "Rose, I think we should at least listen to what Syd has to say." He gave Syd a supportive smile. "Be fair about this. Syd's always shown pretty good judgment."

"Thanks, Dad." Syd smiled back and squared her shoulders. "Mom, I totally understand why you would want me to stay away from SPD. I know that you'll worry about my safety. And I acknowledge the risks that I'll have to take to be successful at the academy. But I've been wanting to try something new and challenging. I want to join SPD. I think it's time I gave something back."

"So do something else," Rose said firmly. "You're only sixteen, Syd. You have your whole life ahead of you. You don't know what you might be giving up."

"You don't know what I might gain!" Syd shot back. She stood up from the dinner table and stomped up to her room. She had suspected that her mother wasn't going to cooperate. Syd loved her mom, she really did, but Rose felt the need to smother her. Every time Syd tried a new thing, Rose was always so protective.

Syd flopped down on her bed and scooped Peanuts up. She buried her face in the stuffed elephant. A few tears of hurt and frustration leaked out of her eyes. She sat there for awhile, until there was a knock on her door. "Go away."

"It's Dad, baby. Come on, I want to talk. Please?"

"Whatever." The door opened and Mack crossed to his daughter. Her pretty heart shaped face was hidden in a stuffed animal that he vaguely remembered buying for her at the circus. He sat down on the edge of her bed and put an arm around her shoulders.

"You know Mom means well," Mack began, "You know how much we love you. And look at it from her point of view: her only daughter, her only baby, wants to join a potentially dangerous organization to fight intergalactic criminals. Wouldn't you be freaked out?"

Syd thought for a moment and then nodded. "But why can't she just be happy that I figured things out? Why can't Mom ever support anything new that I want to try? She's always so cautious, always wants me to think everything through at least twice before I make my decisions final."

"That's just how your mother is, Syd," Mack said, "You should have seen how many times she planned and re-planned our wedding. She just wants you to be happy and safe. When you're a parent, you'll understand."

"I would really hate for my own mother to think that I can't do something like this."

"It's not that she thinks you can't do it. It's that she knows you can and that you'll be great." Mack kissed the top of Syd's head. "And I think that you'll be great, too."

Syd nodded once more. "Thanks, Daddy. I have to try. I have to. I guess I should talk to Mom."

"You should," Mack agreed. He gave Syd an extra squeeze, "No matter what, we'll always love you. You're still our baby." He left Syd's room.

She brushed her golden hair and then washed her face. Only then did Syd feel that she could face her mother. The petite girl went downstairs to her parents' office, where Rose was grading papers. "Just a minute."

Syd sat down at her dad's desk, waiting for Rose to finish. All too soon, Rose put down her pen and looked at Syd. Her expression was blank. "Well?"

Syd frowned, "Mom, this is my choice. I want you to respect it. I know the thought alone must be terrifying to you…but please, Mom. Please try to support me."

The older woman thought about this for a moment. Then Rose got up and pulled Syd up as well. "Oh sweetie, I am so proud that you'd choose something like this. I truly am. And if you really know that it's what you want, I won't say another word against it. I'm just a mom; I can't help but be concerned." Rose wrapped her daughter in a big hug. Syd returned the gesture without a second thought.

0o0o0o0

"And call us, please, every time you get the chance. Day or night, early or late –"

"Sweetheart, she gets it." Mack gave his daughter a big bear hug, squeezing Syd tight. "But she's right," he told Syd in a low voice, "Call. Just so we know you're doing. Now go knock 'em dead, honey."

Syd nodded and gave her parents that brilliant smile that made the world love her. "I'll do my best to make you proud. I promise. Now I have to get on the road if I plan on getting there before night. Love you both." Rose stepped forward for one last crushing hug before letting Syd get into her car.

'_You're a big girl,'_ Syd reminded herself as she drove away. She glanced out of the side view mirror to see her parents standing on the curb holding each other. _'You're a big girl. You can do this. You'll show everyone.'_

She was supposed to be met by one of her teammates in the entryway. She didn't see anyone until an elevator door slid open to reveal her best friend.

He stared at her.

She stared at him.

Then he crossed the room to her. "Hi Syd," he said warmly, "I know you love to surprise people, and it's great that you came out to see me, but I'm supposed to meet my new teammate and show her around. Maybe next week? I'll call you later."

She raised her hand. "I'm your new teammate. Isn't that the best? It'll be just like last summer. We can talk and train together and when we move up to ranger status we'll be on the same team!" Syd smiled to herself. _'And we'll fall in love, just like our parents did and live happily ever after,'_ she thought.

Sky could not believe what he had just heard. Sydney Hartford, known as Syd Drew to her loyal fans, at SPD? His Syd? No way. What was she thinking? "Nice try, Syd," he said. He prayed that Syd really had been joking.

"I'm serious. I'm here for real. Can we go get my stuff now? I want to get settled in and call Mom before she freaks out." Syd smiled and started to the door.

Sky followed his friend out to her car, furious. How could she choose something so dangerous? Couldn't she have just worked on a new CD or something so he would know she was safe?

Sky helped Syd drag her stuff to her new room. "Oh, I have a roommate," she said, a little disappointed by this. She had never had to share her room before, being an only child. She tried to look on the bright side. Maybe her roomie would be fun. It would probably be nice to have girl time after long days of training with Sky and their other teammates.

"It was an empty dorm. You don't have a roommate." Sky put down the three duffel bags on one of the beds. "Why did you come here, Syd? To be successful here, you have to be determined and disciplined and ready to sacrifice everything. I really don't think SPD is for you." He said it as harshly as possible. Maybe if Syd thought she couldn't do it she would go home to her safe house with her loving parents.

Syd looked hurt at his mean words. Sky instantly wished that he hadn't said what he had. He hated the look on her face. "Well, Sky, what you think is not my concern. To be honest, I expected you to be happy that we could have more time together. I expected you to support me…and be proud of me. I guess I don't know you like I thought I did. Let's get this over with."

Sky showed her the cafeteria, the training fields and where the fight simulators were. Then he showed her where C Squad's rec room was, where they found their teammates, Dru Harrington and Bridge Carson. She did not know who was who, but the one with the gloves looked friendlier.

"I'm Bridge," he told her. "And you're Syd Drew. Wow, I didn't know we had a celebrity on our team. Oh, but you probably don't want us to treat you differently because you're famous. Unless you do…" Bridge took the glove off of his right hand. He waved it in front of himself. "Nope, you're too nice. I'll be nice back."

Syd smiled nervously at Bridge and then looked at Dru. His face showed every sign of great dislike. "You have got to be kidding. Are you here to help your 'image?' Did you get caught doing something illegal and let down millions of little girls around the world? You're nothing but a spoiled child, Syd Drew."

The newest member of C Squad looked hurt. She looked at Sky, expecting him to defend her. To her shock, he laughed. "You're right, Dru. She is a total brat. She won't last one week here."

"I don't think so. I can tell, Syd really wants to do this," Bridge spoke up. Syd felt a sort of affection for the boy she'd only known for five minutes. "And you don't even know her, Dru. I know Sky does, but you can't say anything." Sky glared, and so did Dru.

The two older boys stomped out of the room. "Syd? Is it OK if I call you Syd, by the way? Anyway, we all started this squad at the same time. Sky and Dru are only nice to each other. They want to reach the top as quickly as possible, you know. They're two of a kind. Sky's your friend, though, isn't he?"

"He's my best friend," Syd said quietly. "I don't get why he's being so mean. We've been so close over the last few years. But now he's being just like he was when we were kids: cruel for no reason. He thinks I can't do it. God, I just hate it. I'm spoiled, I know I am, but I can work hard. I can."

Bridge gave her an encouraging smile. "Hey, it's time for lunch. Want to walk to the cafeteria with me? We can sit together. I mean, if you don't mind sitting with me. I am a freak, and all."

Sydney looked at him, puzzled. "You seem perfectly normal to me," she told Bridge. She thought about the freak accident at her fourth birthday party and then about the night Sky had saved her from Jon. Maybe Bridge was like her and Sky? "But me and Sky can do things, too. Did Sky tell you that? What can you do, anyway?"

Bridge took a deep breath. "I have psychic powers. I can feel what other people feel and I…I guess I 'read' other people's auras. You know, stuff like are they trustworthy or not, what they're feeling most strongly at the moment…that's why I have the gloves. All the thoughts and feelings get to be too much, especially when I physically touch someone."

"That must suck. I thought _I_ was cursed. I'm so lucky no one ever found out about me, except for girls that I don't talk to anymore and Sky. And my parents. It only happened once, but my hands can turn to metal. It was my birthday, and Sky and I didn't like each other. He shoved my face into the cake, and I grabbed a fork…" Sydney smiled sadly. "But that's nothing compared to you, I guess. Come on. I'm starved."

0o0o0o0

Things with Dru and Sky did not improve. They were mean to her, and to Bridge. Syd couldn't understand why Sky would go away as the man who had saved her from Jon and what he had wanted to do to her and then be like this the next time they saw each other. They had gotten along for six years straight, and now he acted like a total jerk.

Syd told her parents that everything was going great, though. "I really love it here," Syd told Rose one evening, "I love learning all the special technologies and doing my training with the others. Today we split into teams to spar, me and Bridge versus Sky and Dru, and we totally kicked their butts. And yesterday, at this special class for me and Sky and Bridge, I was able to actually use my power instead of being afraid of it."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. I'm so glad it's all working out for you. It's lucky you have Sky right there with you; I know he must be very supportive. Me and Dad are so proud of you. This is a great thing you're going, Syd. It really is. Any…any idea when you'll be moved up to ranger status?" The former pink ranger asked this last part nervously.

"It all depends on when the current A Squad steps down. That bumps B Squad up, and in turn we go up. B Squad mostly has ranger powers to help bring in tougher criminals. A Squad is to fight the bigger guys, like when that creature who calls himself an emperor sends one of his lackeys. It hasn't happened since I've been here, Mom; don't worry."

Rose knew all of this already, but she didn't want Syd to know how much she knew about the inner workings of SPD. She had never told Syd that she and Mack had done work at there and that SPD was how they had known the Graysons. Rose wanted to protect Syd as much as possible, and keeping this secret was the only thing left. "Hopefully, you'll never have to be on A Squad. But if it does happen, I know you'll do a good job."

"Thanks, Mom. Hey, look, I have to go meet Sky and the others. I love you. Give Dad a hug for me." Syd hung up the phone and stood at the small window in her room. Sky took an evening run every day at this time, and he rarely wore a shirt to do so. She watched him longingly.

After a while, Dru joined him. She watched the two run together, laughing at some joke she couldn't hear. _'That used to be us,'_ she thought sadly.


	11. Chapter 11

**My Mom is a Teacher**

When Sydney had been at SPD for six months, Dru was sent on an off world mission. Without the fourth member of C Squad, things were quiet. Sky hardly spoke to Syd or Bridge, choosing instead to work harder than ever. He was up at dawn to run extra miles and train with weights. He stayed up later than the other cadets to do the same tasks. Sky had always pushed himself, but this was extreme, even for him.

Syd hated that her beat friend barely spoke to her, especially after all the talking they had done the last summer…after what he had done to keep her safe. It didn't stop her from trying, though. Every chance Syd got to talk to Sky, she took it. When he grunted his answers, or worse, completely ignored her, it hurt.

More than anything, Syd wanted her Sky back.

On her seventeenth birthday, she and her parents made plans to go out to dinner. Syd was excited to see her mom and dad and tell them all her good news. She was stronger and faster now, and generally doing well at the academy. She wanted her parents to be proud of her.

Syd was all ready to go out when she was called to the Command Center. Standing beside Sky always made her nervous, he was so much taller than her… As Sky shifted his weight, his arm brushed hers slightly. Why, why, why did he do this to her? It was so pathetic of her to get goose bumps at Sky's touch.

She wondered if she had any effect on him. Syd knew she looked good in her tight black dress and matching heels. Casually, Syd lifted her hand up to the elaborate bun her curls were shaped into, making sure that Sky caught the scent of her shampoo and body wash.

Sky watched the shorter girl. Damn, she looked good in anything, even when she had to wear the standard academy uniform. Why was she dressed up, anyway? After a moment he decided he didn't care, so long as he got to look at her. Being careful not to be too obvious, he leaned forward slightly. She smelled so nice, some floral scent. It was so unfair that Syd could do this to him, especially when he was supposed to ignore her.

Too bad being mean to her hadn't sent her back to Aunt Rose and Uncle Mack.

Before he could contemplate his behavior further, Commander Cruger entered the room. The three cadets saluted. Syd felt silly in her dress, but what could she do? The blond noticed Bridge's expression grow sad before the commander had even said anything. She knew it was bad news.

"Cadets, I regret to inform you that your teammate Dru Harrington has been reported MIA. His ship was found, but he was not."

"I'll look for him," Sky said immediately. "I'll go right now. Program the ship's coordinates into my–"

"Sky, you can't. You'll get lost, too, or injured." Worry was clear in Syd's voice. Sky glared down at her, but Syd stood her ground. "What makes you think you can find him if trained rescue officers couldn't?" she challenged.

Cruger nodded. "Cadet Drew is correct. I know Cadet Harrington is your friend, Sky, but Dru knew the danger of his mission. You will not go after him…unless you want to be dishonorably discharged from SPD. Dismissed."

Syd, Sky and Bridge saluted once more and left the Command Center. "Sky…" Syd said softly. "I am so sorry. Dru is important to you. I can't imagine what you must be feeling. If you want to talk, I'm here." Syd glanced at her watch, "Want to come to dinner? My parents would love to see you."

To her surprise, Sky nodded. "I only need twenty minutes. Is that alright?"

"That's perfect. I'll wait in the rec room." Sky walked in the direction of his dorm as Syd pulled her pink phone from her purse. "Hey Mom."

"Hello, sweetheart. We're still on for dinner, right? I'm almost ready to go. I'm so excited to see you and catch up. It's been so long. So what were you calling about?"

"Actually, can Sky come to dinner with us? I don't think he should be alone right now." Syd heard her mother sigh. "Mom, one of our teammates was just reported MIA. Dru and Sky have gotten to be good friends. Sky is my best friend and he's upset. Can he please come?"

"It's your birthday celebration. You can invite whoever you like. And Syd, I'm sorry about your teammate. It's always hard to not know. Your dad used to run off on us all the time. It drove me crazy. I'll see you in a bit."

"Thanks, Mom."

Syd hung up as Sky came in. He had showered and changed into a blue dress shirt and black slacks. "You're sure your mom and dad won't mind?" Sky asked. "It is your birthday. Maybe it's supposed to be a family thing."

"You know it's my birthday?"

"Syd, I met you on your fourth birthday. I think I remember." He'd forgotten today's date until he put two and two together as to why Syd was dressed up and why she was leaving. He had known that her birthday was coming up, thought, and he had a special present for her.

"I remember, Sky. It's just that you haven't exactly been friendly since I've been at SPD. I thought you didn't like me anymore. I thought Dru had taken my place."

Sky looked at her, his expression stoic. "Syd, no one could ever take your place. I've known you for most of my life. I've known Dru for seven months. I know I've been a jerk, and I'm sorry. I'll try to be nicer." The smile on Syd's face made him smile back.

They met Syd's parents at a restaurant in San Angeles. For some reason, Rose could not seem to stop smiling at Sky. Sky wondered if Syd had told her mother how distant and cruel he had been and if the reason for Rose's smiles was happiness that they had made up.

It was just like the previous summer. Sky felt like he was really a part of the Hartfords' family. After his dad had died, dinner had always been a quiet affair with him and his mother. But with Syd and her family, it was the opposite. Mack told his stupid jokes and Rose rolled her eyes before asking questions about how Sky had been. Syd piped up about how proud she was of him. Sky marveled at how nice she was despite how rude he had been to her.

After dessert, Rose produced a few brightly colored bags. "I know you've been waiting all night for your presents," the former pink ranger teased, "Here you go." Syd grinned at her mother before greedily ripping through the pink tissue paper for her gifts.

Sydney made her pleasure known with every present: a new designer handbag, several pairs of shoes, a beautiful baby blue suede jacket and a charm bracelet. "You didn't spend too much on me, did you?" Syd asked. "I mean, you picked out beautiful stuff, Mom, and I love it all, but–"

"Syd, don't worry about it. It's your birthday and you're our daughter and we don't care about cost. You do remember that your mother and I make plenty, right?" Mack cracked a slight smile at his daughter. "But it's sweet of you to be concerned."

Sky thought so, too. He knew Syd had her diva moments, especially when she had first come to SPD and was still getting used to the training. But he also knew Syd had a heart of gold deep down and that she adored her parents and admired them for their strength. Sky also remembered telling him how she wanted a relationship like that one day.

"_You know," she had said, "Someone who really loves me like my dad loved my mom. I want someone who will always stand by me and protect me, even if I don't need it. And someone who will keep me focused and in reality. I know I get really wrapped up in myself sometimes."_

"_Yeah, you do," Sky had retorted easily. But he couldn't help but think Syd had been describing him._

Syd was standing now. She hugged her dad and then her mom. "Thanks for the gifts. I really do love all of them. They're _so_ me. And listen, Mom…I really didn't mean to offend you if I did. So I'm sorry."

Rose hugged back tight, "Don't be sorry. When your dad and I were still dating, I used to hate it when he bought me something expensive. I get where you're coming from." The former pink ranger kissed Syd's cheek. "I love you, sweetie. Drive carefully, alright? Call home if you get the chance."

"I will. Me and Sky have a long drive back to New Tech and a training session first thing in the morning. We gotta go now, OK? I love you too."

Syd turned to Sky. "Ready to hit the road?" Sky bobbed his head in agreement and followed Syd out to her car. "Do you mind driving? I'm tired." Syd held out the keys to her shiny silver car and Sky took them.

It was quiet on the way back to the academy. "Hey, Syd, I have something for you, too. It's in my dorm. I didn't spend anything on it, not a lot, anyway… Do you want it tonight or tomorrow?"

She smiled, "You know how much I love presents."

Sky chuckled in response. As he pulled into the faculty lot he looked over at Syd, who looked deep in thought. "Syd?"

"I'm trying to figure out what you could have gotten for me for hardly any money. Did you go to San Angeles and steal Mina's beads to make me a matching necklace?" Syd teased.

"No. But I think you'll like it all the same." They walked through the halls towards the dorm rooms to Sky and Bridge's room. "Just a second, OK?" Syd nodded and Sky disappeared into his dorm.

A moment later, Sky came out again. He was holding a pink plastic CD case. A CD was visible through the plastic. "I know you must be thinking, 'He's so cheap,' but listen to it first, alright?"

Syd grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallways to the girl dorms. She entered her bedroom. "Sit," she ordered, waving a hand towards the other bed. Syd took her present from Sky and put it in her CD player.

The first track was an old Taylor Swift song. It was a song Syd had known most of her life; one of her mom's favorites. She sang along, wondering how he had known.

"And I'm only me when I'm with you," Sydney finished. "I love that song," she said carefully. The next song started, one of her number one hits.

Track after track, Syd heard her favorite songs. Sky was looking at her anxiously, waiting for her approval. Syd grinned before giving her friend a big hug. "You are so sweet," she gushed. "What made you think of this for a present?"

He shrugged. "I know that you like music and I remember you liking these songs. Now you have a nice mix for when you run or whatever. It's not really a big deal."

Syd could tell Sky was trying to come off unattached and unemotional. It made her smile; she knew he was happy to have come up with such a thoughtful, special gift that she liked. "Well, I think it is. It must have taken you ages to find all these songs to download. Doing something like this almost makes me think that I have _my_ Sky back."

The older boy caught that she had declared him to be hers. Could Syd really like him after how mean he had been? "Sydney, I was a jerk to you."

"You apologized for it already. It doesn't matter anymore. You wanted to look cool in front of Dru. It's a guy thing, to want to look tough. I've seen _Grease_, you know." Syd winked up at him.

Sky knew she was teasing him now. Syd was still cuddled up close to him. Sky had an idea. "Well, Syd, you know the punishment for teasing your Sky…you have to face the consequences," Sky announced in a serious voice. Syd put on a look of mock horror. "Are you ready?"

"Oh please, Mighty Red Ranger, don't be too harsh!" Syd cried before Sky launched a merciless tickle attack.

When Syd finally managed to get away, there were tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard. She picked Peanuts up from her bed and threw him at Sky, hitting her friend in the face. Syd wiped her tears before sitting down on the spare bed next to Sky. "This is what I've missed about you. You being _fun_."

He was quiet for a moment. "You know, it wasn't that I was embarrassed by you or wanted to look cool in front of my friends. I thought maybe you would go home if you thought I didn't like you anymore. I want you to be safe."

"Oh Sky," Syd breathed, reaching up for another hug. "You could have told me that. I thought you didn't want to be my friend." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "But you're so sweet. Thank you."

"Goodnight, Syd," Sky said as he unwound her from his torso.

"Goodnight, Sky."

0o0o0o0

The current A Squad stepped down a month later. When Syd got the news that she, Sky and Bridge were being moved up to B Squad, she squealed and then ran to her dorm to call her mother. "Mom, guess what?" Syd didn't wait for Rose to respond. "I'm on B Squad now! We got moved up today! If A Squad ever needs back up or there's a criminal on the loose, I get to be a ranger. Oh, I hope I get to be pink!"

"Congratulations, Syd! Here, let me get Dad so you can tell him the good news." Rose put her hand over the receiver and yelled for Mack.

"Hi, Syd. Mom says you have something to tell me."

"Daddy, me and Sky and Bridge are going to be rangers!"

Mack congratulated his daughter and hung up turning to Rose. She had tears in her eyes. "Our baby's gonna be a ranger…"

0o0o0o0

Sky was friendlier after Syd's birthday. He stopped calling Bridge a freak and occasionally played lightball with his teammates. The B Squad fought better now that they were leaning to cooperate. The commander looked pleased as he watched the sparring sessions.

Yes, he still pushed himself. He still cared about his responsibilities to the academy. He would still read the handbook before doing anything fun…but little by little he was more like Summer Sky.

Then Jack and Z came, and nothing was the same again.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: The next few chapters will be broken up like this – 0o0o__**Insert Episode**__**Title Here**__o0o0. Mostly, I will focus on episodes with little Sky/Syd moments, but there will be a few twists not episode related._

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Post** **Beginnings**o0o0

It had been a long day, Syd thought. A long, strange day, as well as an exciting one. She was a ranger now. It meant responsibility, being a role model to the other cadets. Syd was proud of herself. She was really part of the ranger family now; part of the legacy.

She was thrilled that her morpher was for the pink ranger power. Not only was it her favorite color, it was her mother's color. Now she and her mom had the status of pink ranger to share, as well as their strong mother–daughter bond.

They had a whole team now: her, Bridge, Z, Jack...and Sky. Syd's happy mood lessened slightly; she knew Sky was furious that Jack had taken up the red ranger mantle. Sky had been at SPD for two years and Jack had been here for two minutes. Syd knew Sky had to be beating himself up.

The newly minted pink ranger went off in search of her oldest friend. On the way, she saw Bridge, Jack, and Z. The new green ranger was showing their teammates around, just as Sky had done for Syd so long ago. She smiled at them as she passed.

Syd found Sky in his room, beating the stuffing out of his punching bag. "Sky, it's nothing to be ashamed of," she said softly. "There are lots of great blue rangers. I know you wanted to be red; I know you wanted to follow in your dad's footsteps. But it's not the end of the world. You're still going to be great as a ranger, regardless of your color."

"Color is everything, Sydney," Sky snapped. "It tells everyone who you are. Everyone knows the red ranger is the best of the best. I know why Cruger gave me the blue morpher, too. It's because I spent too much time goofing off with you and Bridge. I should have been training myself, not playing lightball."

Syd glared up at him, angry at what he was suggesting. "Don't try to blame this on me and Bridge. Maybe Cruger knows you're a jerk and thought you didn't deserve to be in red."

0o0o**During Walls**o0o0

Sky helped Syd pile up the diamonds and then stalked off to sit on a crate. Syd grinned. Oh, she was gonna have some fun. Sky was grumbling to himself. "I should not be babysitting a bunch of reflective rocks. It's obvious Jack wants me to keep me as far from the action as possible. He feels threatened by me; knows I should have been the red ranger."

That struck a nerve with Syd, who liked the red ranger. He was pretty cool now that he had gotten over his ego, and funny. "Come on, Sky. Jack didn't have anything to do with that." "Whatever, Syd."

She picked up one of the smaller diamonds and tossed it at him. The moody blue ranger glared over at his teammate. "Whatever, Syd," she mimicked.

"Knock it off." Sky spoke clearly, each syllable precise and conveying his annoyance. He took a sip from his oddly shaped bottle.

Syd was annoyed, too. She hated that he had gone back to being like this.

"Cut it out," the blue ranger grunted.

"Or what? Gonna call my parents?" Syd teased. She loved messing with him.

"Don't test me," Sky warned his teammate, "Or you'll be sorry."

Syd stood up, marching over to him. Sky met her halfway. He twisted the lid off of his bottled water and dumped it over Syd's golden head. He started to laugh, clutching his sides. Syd wanted to laugh, too. It wasn't that she thought Sky spilling water on her was funny…it was that his prank was something like the old Sky would have done.

"It took me looking like this to get you to smile?" Sydney demanded of her friend. The smile instantly vanished from Sky's face. Syd frowned, "No, it looks good on you." Sky turned and sat on his crate again. "If you just spent a little more time with the team instead of sulking with your handbook –"

The current pink ranger was cut off by Sky putting a force field between them. Syd pouted, poking the blue shield.

0o0o**A Few Days after A-Bridged**o0o0

Syd dressed carefully on the morning of Parents' Day. She knew her parents were planning on taking her to lunch and she wanted to look cute. In the end, Syd chose a pink off the shoulder top and a pair of hip huggers. She also put on a pair of white sandals to complete her look.

Her roommate watched as Syd put on her makeup. Z was envious of her pink teammate. She wished her parents were around to visit her.

Sydney skipped over to the door and then looked back at Z. The two girls were not exactly the best of friends, but they were learning to get along. Besides, they were teammates, and Syd knew Z wouldn't have parents to see today. "Want to come with?"

This caught the yellow ranger off guard. She hadn't expected Syd to want to share her parents. "I'll come to meet your parents, but I won't tag along. I know you don't get to see them often." Z tried to smile. Syd returned the gesture.

As the B Squad girls exited their room, Syd spoke up. "You should recognize my parents. They're kind of famous around here." The pair turned down another hallway, arriving at the main entrance of the academy. And there they were. Syd squealed and ran to her mom and dad and hugged them both.

Z turned to Sky, who had just joined them, flanked by Jack and Bridge. "_Those_ are Syd's parents? The Hartfords? As in, the red and pink rangers from Operation Overdrive? But how? She doesn't even look like them!"

"She could be Mack's kid," Jack said fairly. "They have a similar hair texture and their eye color is close. Maybe Rose is her stepmother."

Sky shook his head. "Syd is adopted."

"No way," Z said, "Princess Sydney is adopted? I can't believe it. She's so spoiled."

"She's adopted all right. She's been with the Hartfords since she was a baby, a year old I think. She probably never mentioned it because it doesn't matter to her. And yeah, Syd can be spoiled, but she's really a sweet person."

Jack snickered. "You like her."

Sky didn't say anything. Syd had turned around to see her friends and was waving them over to her. "Come here, guys!"

When the other four arrived, Syd beamed. "Mom, Dad, this is Z, Bridge and Jack. And of course you already know Sky. Guys, there are my parents, Rose and Mack Hartford."

Jack extended his hand to Mack. "I'm a red ranger, too. Cool to meet you. You were a great ranger." Then Jack's eyes shifted to Rose. "And you are lovely, Mrs. Hartford. You're so much prettier in person than in the old videos we watch in our ranger history classes."

Rose smiled politely and looked over at Syd. "Why don't you show us around?"

Syd nodded. "I'll see you guys later, OK? I have my morpher on me if anything comes up." The pink ranger started down the hallway to the rest of the academy, her parents following close behind.

She showed her mom and dad the various training fields and obstacle courses. "God, these things make me so sore the next day," she grumbled. "But they build stamina and also ensure I go right to sleep at night."

As the tour continued, Rose asked a lot of questions. She did not want Syd to suspect that she had in fact helped lay the foundation for SPD and its technologies. Sydney answered the questions as best she could. She was so proud of what she and the others did here and it was nice to see that her mom fully supported her.

When they were outside the Command Center, Syd turned around to grin at her mother. "OK, Mom, just _wait_ til you get inside this place. It's so high tech that I can only work about half the stuff in here. You're gonna freak."

"Well, then we should go inside and find out," Rose replied. She stepped into the room, taking it all in. The room had not changed much since Rose had last been here, some seventeen years ago. Syd pranced through the room, showing her parents the machine that projected holographic images of monsters.

Rose prodded at the machine, pretending that she had not helped Kat build it and had no idea how it worked. "Cutting edge," she said to her daughter. _'Of course it is,'_ Rose thought, _'I drew up the blueprints.'_

"I know, right? And you should _so_ talk to Dr. Manx some time. She's a genius." Syd was beaming now. "I think that's about it. Can we go to lunch?"

"Sure," Rose said quickly. The faster she got away from here, the less likely it was that she'd spill her secret. "Oh, I spoke to Jen a few days ago. She and Luke and Sky are around here somewhere. We thought you would like Sky and his family to join us, so we invited them along. Is that alright?"

Syd's smile grew wider. "That's a great idea. I love things like this. Our families being together, I mean. The last time we had a big gathering was for Sky's going away barbeque." She practically skipped as they went off to find Sky.

He was showing his mother the zord bay. Jen was poking around, asking questions, just as Rose had done. Luke was nearby, taking the sights in. Syd remembered that Luke was a contractor and had never been around ranger technology before. "Pretty cool, isn't it?" Syd asked with her friendly smile. "Sky is the lucky one, though. His zord can fly."

"Is that so? How do you fly this thing, Sky?" Luke seemed genuinely interested in his girlfriend's son, Syd could tell. She was glad to know that he didn't have to pretend. Aunt Jen deserved a nice guy.

Sky had set his face into a scowl. He was about to say something rude. God, couldn't he grow up? Couldn't he just see how much it would mean to his mother for him to be nice to Luke? Syd shot her crush a warning glance, which he seemed to interpret correctly, because at the last possible second, the blue ranger managed a smile.

He explained to Luke that it was a simple task, just like moving a joy stick in a video game. He opened the zord and invited Luke in. Mack followed, leaving the three pink rangers alone. "Thanks, Syd," Jen said quietly. "I love how you remind him of his manners." She sighed.

"He's my best friend, and I love him to pieces, but he can be a real jerk." Syd cracked a smile at Jen, who returned it. "I don't think it's you and I don't think it's Luke. I think Sky just misses Uncle Wes."

"I know he does. But what was I supposed to do? I waited ten years to go out again…and I love Luke." Jen looked at the zord sadly. "I just wish Sky could see it. I wish he would give Luke a chance, especially because…"

"What?" Rose questioned, curious as to what Jen had to say. "Especially because what?"

"It's a secret," Jen said quickly. "You'll find out soon, though," she added in a low voice as the men came out again.

At the restaurant, things were quiet until about halfway through the meal when Jen cleared her throat. "I think of you as family," she told the Hartfords as she reached for Luke's hand, "So that's why I'm telling you first: Luke and I are getting married."

Syd reacted first, getting up from her chair and standing beside Jen's chair. She hugged the older woman. "That's wonderful!" Syd loved weddings – they gave her an excuse to dress up.

Rose and Mack were offering their congratulations now. Sydney looked over at Sky. He was fighting to keep his expression neutral. "That's just great, Mom," he said stiffly.

"There's no reason to be like that," Jen snapped, her temper flaring. "You might be an adult, but you act like a four year old sometimes."

Sky shook his head in disbelief and stood up. "I have to be getting back now. Come on, Syd." He glared at his teammate, clearly saying that she would be at the top of his loser list if she stayed here.

Syd smiled apologetically at her parents, Jen, and Luke. "He gave me a ride here, so I do have to leave with him. I'm so sorry to run out on you." She hugged her mom and dad and beamed at Jen. "Congratulations, again."

Sky was halfway out of the restaurant when his pink teammate finally caught up to him. "You are so self-centered, you know. It's always about you: why _you_ should be red ranger; that _you're_ the only one who misses your dad. Well, Sky there are nine billion other people on this planet and here's a newsflash for you: you are not any more important than anyone else."

"My mom married my dad. She made him promises, Syd, promises that she's breaking by marrying Luke. She is supposed to love my dad as 'long as they both shall live.' I don't think she's showing it very well."

Syd shook her head. "Jen will always love Wes. He was her husband, and the father of her son. But just because she's getting married again doesn't mean she loves your dad any less." She reached up, cupping his cheek in one hand. "She's the only mom you'll ever have, Sky."

Later, Syd made her way to the Command Center. It was late, and she couldn't sleep through Z's snores. At least, that was what she told herself. Syd knew the real reason she had insomnia tonight. The normally perky blond had a hurting heart.

She sat down at one of the monitors and searched through the video files until she found one she recognized from ranger history class. The pink ranger pulled up the file and started to watch it.

And there they were, the people who had brought her into this world, Carter and Dana Grayson. Syd watched the red and pink Lightspeed Rescue rangers fight side by side. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad." Syd sighed wistfully as the door slid open again. To her surprise, she was joined by Sky.

"Hey," he said quietly, "You can't sleep, either?" The blue ranger sat down next to her, "I talked to my mom. We're all good now. Thanks for that, Syd."

She smiled, but it wasn't quite her normal one. Sky caught this instantly. "You OK?"

"Just thinking about my mom and dad. My real mom and dad, I mean. The Graysons. How weird is it that my biological parents wore the same colors my adoptive parents did? How weird is it that they died in some accident and I got rangers as my guardians?" Syd folded her arms on keyboard and then put her rested her head on them.

Sky looked down at Syd quizzically. She had never really spoken about the Graysons since that night twelve years ago. She had accepted Rose and Mack as her parents and only mentioned the Graysons once during ranger history.

"_My mom told me they were rangers on the night before I came to SPD. Being rangers must have been how they knew each other," she had said quietly to herself._

"Syd, please don't act like it matters to you all of a sudden. Aunt Rose and Uncle Mack are your parents, and they love you. You gave them a family. And you know as well as I do that if your mom heard you talking like that it would break her heart."

The pink ranger turned to face him. She stared at him for a moment before flinging herself into his arms. "You're right," Syd said against Sky's chest, "Mom and Dad love me."

Sky didn't care that the Command Center was under constant surveillance and that they were sure to be discovered. He held Syd, rubbing her back to comfort her. Since he was already breaking one rule by embracing Syd in a public area of the academy, he might as well break two. "Do you want to go to the wedding with me? As my date?"


	13. Chapter 13

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Still between A-Bridged and Sam**o0o0

Syd knew Z was planning on doing some shopping soon, so on an off duty Saturday, the pink ranger woke her yellow teammate bright and early. "Come on, Z," Syd chirped, "I know you need new shoes and I need to buy a dress, and unless you _want_ to use the SPD jeep, you'll get up and come with me…"

Z grunted and rolled over, hiding from her friend. "It's seven in the morning, Syd. I will get my shoes later. Besides, you don't need my help to get a dress. It's not exactly my area of expertise."

Syd folded her arms over her chest. "You're still a girl. You can tell me what looks good. I want to look nice for Sky, especially because he doesn't want his mom to get married. I figure if I look hot he'll be distracted and forget to be a grump and ruin his mom's day."

The other girl grunted again. "You _do_ know that no matter what you look like, Sky will still be a jerk, right?" The yellow ranger sat up in bed, stretching her arms above her head. "And you don't want to distract him from being a grouch. You just want him to notice you. You're really transparent when it comes to Sky."

"I sense a 'Yes, Syd, I'd love to go shopping with you,' is coming on," Syd teased. "And for the record, I don't think I'm transparent at all. He hasn't seemed to notice, has he?" Syd pranced over to her closet and began looking through her civilian clothes. After a moment, she turned back to Z, hurt clouding her face. "He's never going to love me, is he?"

The younger girl realized just how much she had upset her pink teammate. "Syd, I know we're not best friends or anything, but I do know that you'd be a great girlfriend for any guy to have. Come on; you know you're pretty and smart and talented. And if Sky can't see that, he's an idiot."

"Aw," Syd cooed as she crossed to Z and threw her arms around the yellow clad girl, "You _do_ like me. I knew you would come around eventually. We are going to have so much fun today. We're gonna get facials and mani-pedis and find perfect outfits and – "

"Will you stop thinking of ways to torture if I say I can't stand you?"

0o0o0o0

Z sat on a low stool outside of the dressing room, waiting for Syd. The pink ranger had found a dress…but couldn't pick a color. The short garment was made of some light, airy material and came in three options: a delicate shade of pink, a soft lilac, and a baby blue that matched Syd's eyes.

"Come _on_ Syd," Z urged. "It's not like you don't know that you look great in all the colors. You're a blond."

"This is the last one," Syd soothed from her dressing room stall. "I'm on my way out." Z heard the latch slide open and a moment later a pair of bare feet padded out to her. Syd was now wearing the light blue dress. Z grinned.

"I like that one," she told her teammate. "It's the same shade as your eyes. It looks great on you."

Syd shot Z a huge smile, adjusting the fabric slightly. "You really think this one is better than the purple or the pink?"

"Definitely," Z confirmed. Syd heard the sincerity in the younger girl's tone. The smile could not leave Syd's face. "Plus, I think it will really make a statement to Sky. Blue is his color and all."

Syd thought about this for a moment before deciding Z was right. She had seen herself in the dressing room mirror. The blue did compliment her eyes nicely, and she knew wearing Sky's color would attract his attention. "I'll get this one, then. Thanks for the advice, Z."

"I can put the rejects back for you," the yellow ranger offered, following Syd back into the dressing room. She picked up the pink and purple dresses. Syd was waiting for her when she came back, the blue dress carefully slung over her left arm.

When Sydney had finished paying for her new outfit, she smiled tentatively over at Z. "I'm starved. Want to hit the food court?"

Z nodded. So far, Syd hadn't been too bad…not nearly as bad as Z would have predicted. She had envisioned Syd being a whiny brat and insisting that she couldn't find a nice dress to wear to the wedding. But Syd had her choices picked out within twenty minutes and had agreed to Z's pick fairly quickly.

"I'll pay for dessert if you buy lunch," the dark haired girl added to Syd's proposed plan.

"Deal," Sydney said brightly. As the B Squad girls walked off in the direction of the mall's food court, Syd looked at Z. "This is nice. Having girl time. I love the guys, but it's so refreshing to be able to talk to a girl."

Sydney had been sure Z was going to laugh at her for being so sappy and girly, but to the pink ranger's surprise, Z bobbed her head. "I know what you mean. I've been with Jack for the last five years. It was hard not to have a girl to talk to."

The blond haired girl lowered her gaze. "It must suck so bad not to have a mom." She put the bag containing her purchase on an empty chair. The bag with Z's new shoes in it joined Syd's bag and then the yellow clad girl sat in one of the other chairs at the table. "I could go for a turkey sandwich," Syd announced, pointing to the nearby sub station.

"That sounds fine. I'll watch our stuff."

The two girls ate quietly, chatting about training over the last week. When Z came back with two ice cream sundaes for dessert, she noticed Syd was wearing a plastic bracelet. It seemed so out of place on Princess Sydney. "Your sister make you that or something?" Z asked.

Syd shook her head. "Actually, Sky did. He stole my cousin Mina's beads to make it, though. I thought it was sweet."

Z snickered. "I just don't see why you would be attracted to him. He doesn't seem like he'd be your type. I mean, the only thing he reads is our handbook, and the only thing you read is _Miro_." The brunette took a bite of her ice cream, waiting for Syd to explain herself.

Syd was careful to get caramel sauce on her spoonful of vanilla ice cream, considering Z's statements. "Well," Syd answered after she swallowed, "You just don't know him like I do, Z. He's been there for me when I need someone. Like when I was on the road, doing my pop star thing, he was the only person who got all the details. He was the only one I could trust to just listen."

The yellow ranger was confused. "But what about your mom and dad? Wouldn't they have wanted to know about your problems?"

"Oh, of course. When I was on tour, one of them was always with me, both when they could manage it. It's hard for them to be apart." Syd looked wistful, "I hope one day I meet someone who loves me like my father loves my mother, and I want to love someone like my mom loves my dad."

"But _Sky_? I guess he's attractive, if you like the male model look. I don't see-"

"I've had a crush on him since I was twelve. He was fourteen, and he was just hitting his growth spurt. He came to a show I played at the arena in Silver Hills, to surprise me. I was so happy to see him I didn't care he was a foot taller than me. We used to be closer to the same height," Syd elaborated. "I went on the road and boom! He's a giant. But anyway, he brought me flowers and a little teddy bear and it was so cute. He told me he missed me. His voice cracked." Sydney smiled at the memory.

Z couldn't picture Sky wanting to surprise anyone. She mused over the description Syd had given her, only to find that a young, sweet Sky was impossible for her to imagine. She looked up at Syd, noticing that the pretty pink ranger looked distracted. "Is there something else?" Z guessed, not liking how troubled Syd looked.

"Yes, there is," Syd murmured, "I always knew I _liked_ Sky, but two summers ago made me realize that I was actually…well, it's silly. And trust me, Z. You don't want to know what almost happened to me."

Z's big brown eyes narrowed. "Now that you tell me I can't know, I really want to."

The older girl sighed. "Two summers ago, Sky stayed at my house with my parents and me. I had this boyfriend. I hadn't been seeing him very long, and it was only a casual summer thing, you know? It wasn't serious. Anyway, Jon got me alone, and he was trying to take a very important choice away from me. And then, suddenly, Sky was there. He got Jon off of me, kept me safe. If he hadn't come…"

Suddenly, it all made sense to Z. No wonder Syd was so interested in the blue ranger. This insight was more hurtful to Z than she would have imagined. Sky might have been Syd's white knight, but it was so unlikely that he's ever put anything else before SPD. And Syd, head over heels for her protector as she was, would waste who knew how long waiting around for him.

0o0o**Three Weeks Later, Still before Sam**o0o0

Sky waited for Syd in the rec room, wondering what was taking his old friend so long. He knew Syd well, arguably better than everyone, and he knew she had her diva moments. But she was so excited for his mother's wedding, and wouldn't want to be late.

So why was she insisting on taking as long as humanly possible to put on a dress?

As if in tune with Sky's thoughts, Sydney strode through the doors just then. Sky found there was a new truth to the saying "Good things come to those who wait."

Syd looked stunning, to put it simply. Her long golden curls were piled up on top of her head in an elaborate bun, with one soft bouncy curl falling gently on the right side of her face. She had on a baby blue dress and Sky was delighted to see it only reached mid-thigh. She wasn't wearing much make-up, just enough mascara to make her lashes more noticeable. Sky also noticed her lips had a slight sparkle to them as a result of her favorite lip gloss. She didn't wear any jewelry other than the silver charm bracelet he recognized as being a present from her mother on her seventeenth birthday. As Sky looked at her, dry mouthed, he noticed Syd seemed to have grown a few inches. Syd stepped closer to him, her high heeled sandals clacking on the floor.

"Ready to go?" she asked in a soft tone. What was wrong with him? Did he think she looked pretty? Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink at this possibility. She spun around, showing off. "Do I look OK?"

"You look beyond OK. You look amazing."

Sydney heard the sincerity in Sky's voice. She was happy to learn that he did, in fact, find her at least a little attractive. "You don't look so bad yourself," she purred. "Just let me fix your tie."

The pink ranger reached up to adjust Sky's tie. When she had fixed it, it hung straight against his dark blue dress shirt. "All better," Sydney announced as she smoothed the tie one final time.

Sky was from a wealthy background, just as Syd was. The way people of the upper class thanked each other had always made him uncomfortable, but it felt appropriate here. Knowing Syd wouldn't mind, Sky leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Syd's cheek. "Thanks for coming with me. It saves me the trouble of trying to find a date."

Syd thought that someone like Sky would probably find a date easily, but she didn't voice this opinion. "You're welcome, Sky. We don't want to be late. Do you want to drive, or should I?"

"I will drive, Sydney," Sky said firmly, "Because you like to drive fast. As an officer of the law, I have to obey the speed limit."

"You are such an old lady," Syd grumbled as she grabbed Sky's hand and began pulling him through the academy.

As promised, Sky stuck to the speed limit as the pair drove into Silver Hills. They didn't talk much, but Sky saw Syd glance at him a few times. He smiled when she did this.

The B Squad members arrived just as Syd's parents did. Mack slid the Hartfords' car into the spot next to Sky's and got out, grinning at his daughter and her companion. "Nice to see you again, Sky," the older man greeted as Rose flung her arms around their daughter. He watched Rose crush Syd for a moment before gently pulling her away. "Hi, Princess."

"Hi, Daddy. Mom, I think you gave me bruises," she added, wincing. "I missed you, too."

"Sorry," Rose apologized, "I just can't believe my baby is a ranger. It seemed like just yesterday you and Sky were fighting at your birthday party and now you're both fighting aliens. Before I know it, I'm going to be a grandmother."

Mack winked. "Your mother always gets teary-eyed at weddings," he told Syd. He reached for Rose's hand and linked their fingers together as they headed into the church. Syd heard him mutter, "Don't give her ideas, Rose," as they walked. The current pink ranger laughed quietly to herself.

"We should find our seats," Sky suggested after a moment. Syd nodded as she fell into step beside him. She wished Sky would hold her hand like her dad held her mom's, but that seemed like too much to ask of him today. He didn't want to be here, so why push him?

Jen and Luke had planned a small wedding, with only close friends and family present. Jen looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle and Syd felt tears well in her eyes.

Sky, to Syd's surprise, behaved himself at the reception. He congratulated his mother and new stepfather, and even danced a few songs with Jen.

When the happy couple left for their honeymoon, Rose came to sit with her daughter. "This was fun. I'm so happy for them. And it was good of Sky to be supportive of his mother. I think having you with him helped keep him calm."

Syd beamed. "He was better than I had expected. You should have seen how he looked at me, Mom. I knew we're not supposed to be romantically involved over at the academy, but I'm really starting to think that maybe when our terms as rangers are over, maybe we'll have some kind of future together. We have a certain chemistry, don't you think? And then there was the way he saved me…"

Rose considered her daughter's words for a moment. She knew Syd and Sky were closer to each other than they were to anyone else…just like she and Mack were, even after twenty-one years. She knew Syd was lucky to have such a strong, loyal friend in her life. "I think you would be great for each other."

Mack joined his wife and daughter at the table. He leaned over in his seat to put his arm around Rose's shoulders. "I'm tired. Should we head over to the hotel now?" The former red ranger closed his eyes, his arm still encircling his wife.

"I'm tired too," Rose said. "Oh, that reminds me. We got a room for you at the hotel. We thought you wouldn't want to drive home at this hour. Tomorrow we can all have lunch or something."

"That's sweet, Mom, but I only have the clothes I came in." Syd shook her charm bracelet, fingering a charm from which one pink crystal and one blue crystal hung. "Sky will take me home."

"I thought ahead," Rose replied, "I got you a new pair of pajamas and a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. They're in the car." The pink ranger smiled hopefully at her daughter. Syd beamed back.

"OK. We'll follow you over and then Sky can go home. Will you take me back to the academy tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'm falling asleep here; can we go?" Mack asked impatiently. Syd waved Sky over.

"Come on. I have a room. Will you drop me off?"

He could never tell Syd "no," and she knew it. They followed Rose and Mack a few blocks over to the hotel. Syd smiled at her friend. "You look tired." She touched his face gently. "You should come up with me. I can make you some coffee or something."

Syd collected her bag of clothes and toiletries from her mother and got a key card from the desk worker. The blue ranger followed his teammate up to the room. "Relax," Syd said firmly, "I'll get you that coffee." The petite blond all but shoved Sky onto the double bed.

Sydney busied herself with the miniature coffee pot, and a few minutes later she turned around with a mug for Sky. His face was buried in one of the pillows and there were muffled sounds of snoring. Sydney smiled to herself.

She got herself ready for bed. When she finished brushing her teeth, she turned off the light and got into bed next to Sky. Syd snuggled up close to him, completely comfortable and safe.

When Syd woke up the next morning, she was in his arms.


	14. Chapter 14

**My Mom is a Teacher**

Sky was awake, too. "Hi, Sydney," he said, and there was something in his tone that sounded formal. "I'm sorry about falling asleep here. I hope I didn't make things awkward between us, seeing as how I apparently held you all night." He unwound his arms from his petite pink teammate.

"No big," Syd chirped, "It's fine. It was kind of nice, actually. I slept very well." She closed her eyes lazily, feeling strangely bereft now that she wasn't locked in Sky's embrace. "What time is it?" Syd asked after a minute. She yawned.

"It's a little after eight," the blue ranger answered. "We should get up. I'll need to iron this shirt."

"I can do it for you. Let me shower first." The curly haired blond sat up, yawning and stretching her arms above her head. She sighed softly before climbing out of bed and going to the duffel bag her mother had packed for her. "I won't be long. You can go after me."

Sky nodded as he watched Syd pick up her things and go into the connecting bathroom. There was silence for a moment and then the water came on. Syd was singing, too, one of the songs he had put on the mix he'd given her for her last birthday. Even through the running water, he could head Syd's lovely voice clearly.

He had to get out of here. Imagining Syd in the shower was doing things to him, things that would embarrass both of them if she were to discover him like this. Sky unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing and tossed it on the bed where Syd would find it. When this task was done the blue ranger bolted into the hallway.

Sky paced outside of the hotel room, trying to calm himself. He thought of very un-sexy things, like being hugged by his mother. That worked until his mother's body morphed into Syd's and then they weren't just hugging anymore but kissing as well…

"Not helping," Sky grunted to himself. "You'll be the death of me, Sydney, I swear you will." The speed of his pacing increased. He kept on at this until the door across the hall opened and the Hartfords stepped out. Sky's head snapped up, and he imagined he looked like a deer in the headlights.

It had been Sky's experience that Rose had always been more protective of Syd and Mack was more easygoing. But this was not the case for this event. Mack strode to Sky, his expression perfectly conveying that he was _pissed_. "Uncle Mack, it's really not what it looks like."

"Don't you 'Uncle Mack,' me, Sky. What the hell are you doing here? You were supposed to go back to New Tech, not shack up with my daughter!"

"Mack-" Rose started, but her husband ignored her. The former pink ranger was worried that Mack would hit the younger man, but the door to Syd's room opened and Syd poked her head out.

"Here, Sky. I did your shirt for you," she said, giving him back the item of clothing. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad…what's wrong?"

"Syd, please tell your dad that all we did last night was go to sleep," Sky pleaded. "He thinks-"

The little blond laughed outright. "God, no, Dad. I invited him up so I could make coffee. I didn't want him to be fighting sleep while driving. He fell asleep; I put on pajamas and went to bed. It was nothing. Don't you trust me?" Syd looked hurt at her father's assumption.

"Of course we do," Rose said quickly. "Apologize to Syd and Sky, Mack." There was warning in Rose's eyes as she looked pointedly at Mack.

Mack huffed. "What am I supposed to think? He's standing outside of Syd's _hotel_ _room_ with no shirt, and his pants look like they could have stayed in a crumpled heap on the floor all night. Add the fact that they're both teenagers to the evidence and there you have it." He folded his arms over his chest and reluctantly added, "I apologize."

"For the record, I'm a legal adult," Sky snapped, "And Syd is not. She's seventeen for another month. Rest assured, I would never do that unless it was consented _and_ legal." He took his shirt from Syd, "Thank you, Sydney. I'll see you later. Goodbye, Aunt Rose." The blue ranger pulled on his shirt as he stomped towards the elevator.

"Nice going, Dad."

0o0o**Post Sam**o0o0

Syd and Sky walked out of the rec room together. Sky still had his arm around her shoulders. Syd was pleased about this. They had gotten closer again after the night in the hotel. Syd had been sure that after her father's assumption, Sky would be more distant, more like he had been when Dru was still around. But he had proved her wrong. They spent every spare moment together.

"Syd, I'm sorry," Sky told her as they continued to walk. Now he released her, much to Syd's dismay. "You're not a freak. I know it's a touchy subject for you, seeing as how I was the one who made you discover your ability and how young you were when it happened."

She frowned. "You shouldn't be apologizing to _me_, Sky. You should apologize to Z. She would never let on because she's tough and all, but I think you hurt her feelings. Go talk to her. I have a phone call to make."

"Please, Syd. Please tell me that you forgive me. I didn't mean it; I swear." She had never heard him talk like this before. "I'll beg, if it helps. I'll get down on my knees right now."

"You will not," Sydney replied, "Because I forgive you. Z's at the training fields. I will ask her if you said you were sorry, and if I find out you didn't you'll be in big trouble. I really need to talk to my mom, so please let me take care of it."

"You're the best, Sydie," Sky said with a broad smile as he turned around. He was so happy to know Syd wasn't mad at him that he felt like he could fly.

"Since when does Sky call me Sydie?" she asked herself as she entered her dorm room. Syd quickly shoved this question from her mind. She had to concentrate on the argument she was about to have with her parents.

The pink ranger dialed her home phone number. Her father answered. "Hey, Sydie," he said cheerfully. "Listen, sweetheart, I hope you aren't still mad at me for jumping to conclusions about you and Sky. I should have known it was an innocent 'best friends falling asleep together' thing."

"No, I'm not." Syd's normally perky voice was even. Mack didn't like it. "Get Mom, please, and then put the call on speaker. The three of us need to have a little chat."

"Just a sec." She knew something; Mack could hear it in her voice. He sensed a fight was coming. He went into he and Rose's office. "Honey, it's Syd on the phone," Mack told his wife.

Rose sprang up from her chair and then got a good look at Mack's expression. "Oh no," Rose said softly. "What's wrong? Is she going to be alright? Is it Sky? Is she coming home?"

Mack shrugged. Rose sprinted to the phone, her husband close behind. She pressed the small button that put the phone on speaker. "Syd? What's going on?"

The current pink ranger was calm. "You lied to me," Syd accused. "You knew all along where I got my powers. Cruger told us our parents were at SPD. The Graysons, my _real _–" the blond let the harshly spoken work sink in, "My _real_ parents helped work on our morphers. There was an accident and that's why me and Sky and the others are different. You told me they were rangers for Lightspeed, not SPD. And you let me think they died in an accident, but Gruumm's soldiers killed them! Why? Why would you lie to me?"

"To protect you," Rose said automatically. "How were we supposed to tell you all that at six years old when you first found out we adopted you? You never would have understood."

"Mom, you can't protect someone by lying to them!" Syd was really worked up now. "And yes, maybe six would have been a little soon, but you could have told me at _sixteen_ when I came to SPD. I deserved to know the truth than, and I deserve it _now_."

Mack spoke up. "Don't talk to your mother like that, Sydney." His daughter couldn't see what her words had done to Rose, but he could. The curly haired man pulled Rose into his arms, where she buried her face against his chest, sobbing.

"She's not my mother, and you're not my father," Syd hissed viciously before snapping her phone shut, effectively ending the conversation.

0o0o**Post Idol**o0o0

Once it was confirmed that Cruger was going to make a full recovery, Sydney went off in search of Sky. Though they were the best of friends again, she knew he wouldn't want to talk about Dru. But the least she could do was let him know she would be here for him now, just as she'd been there when Dru was reported MIA.

She caught him just starting a course at the training fields. Syd peeled off her pink trimmed jacket to reveal her white SPD shirt and raced after him.

Sky wasn't really surprised to see the pink ranger join him. It was Syd's specialty to be exceptionally supportive, especially of him. And it was kind of nice to hear another pair of feet running beside him. He glanced down at her and found she was looking at him. She winked and turned her focus back on the course.

The taller boy was grateful she wasn't going to give him some big speech; Jack had already done so. Besides, he and Syd knew each other so much better than he and Jack did. Syd didn't need to reassure him with words anymore. She was telling him she cared just by being with him right now.

"Dru was my friend, and maybe I was _his_ best friend…" Why had he opened his mouth? He really needed to learn to keep his thoughts to himself. Maybe Syd hadn't noticed he had spoken. Sky snuck a peek and saw that Syd now looked confused. Damn, he would have to finish up his sentiment. "But he was never mine. It's always been you."

Sydney had always been beautiful, but that was nothing compared to the way she looked now. She was smiling so widely at him that her cheeks had to hurt from the effort. "You're mine, too."

As they finished up the course, Syd bounced up to kiss Sky's cheek before bounding back to the academy for water and a shower. Sky watched her as she left, shaking his head. "She's not like other girls."

0o0o**Post Stakeout**o0o0

Sky hadn't planned on Syd being so grateful to Jack for throwing her a party. He was a bit jealous as he watched Syd throw her arms around their red teammate and squeeze him tightly. He clenched his fists.

Z descended the steps with a teasing comment towards him. Sky took off his jacket to see Syd and Jack embrace again. _'OK, so maybe Jack had a good idea to throw this party for Syd. But wait until her parents show up as an extra surprise. Jack didn't think of that, now did he?'_

As if on cue, the Hartfords' car pulled into the lot on the edge of the park. A moment later, the former rangers were out of their car and heading towards the party. Sky grinned in anticipation. Syd was going to be so happy. Sky knew she had been disappointed to cancel her big birthday bash.

Syd was turned from Jack now, talking to Kat. Then Syd's round baby blue eyes spotted her parents. Sky saw her gaze narrow slightly. This didn't look good. Suddenly, inviting Uncle Mack and Aunt Rose to Syd's surprise birthday party seemed so stupid of him.

The Hartfords grew closer to the crowd of Syd's friends. Rose's heart hurt, seeing her only baby look at her like that. She saw Mack wince as well and wanted to grin. He was always so in tune with her, no matter the circumstances. Now they were only two feet away from their daughter and her expression was still unpleasant.

The petite pink ranger could feel her friends' eyes boring holes into her back, and she knew they would be curious for details. So, not wanting to look suspicious, the tiny pink ranger stepped forward to embrace her parents, though it was rather stiff. As soon as the other guests went back to the party, Syd pounced. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, her voice laced with venom.

"You're our daughter," Rose said, "We came to celebrate your birthday with you. Sky invited us."

"Sky." For a second, Syd could see the thoughtfulness behind her oldest friend's action. He was clearly trying to one-up Jack by making sure everyone Syd loved was here to be with her. Maybe, just maybe…

"I'm not going to make a scene," Syd said finally. "You can stay. But this doesn't magically fix things with the three of us. I'm still angry, angrier than I've ever been before."

Sky was approaching the trio now. He hoped his plan to show Syd he was a better match for her than Jack wasn't about to blow up in his face. Syd turned to him. "Is everything OK? Nice to see you, Aunt Rose, Uncle Mack."

"Everything's great," Syd said in a fake cheery voice. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, dropping her voice to a whisper. "We'll talk later," Syd said in his ear. "Mom, Dad, you remember Z, Jack, and Bridge. Oh, and I'm sure you recall the Commander and Kat. You know, since you worked at SPD along with-"

To everyone's surprise, Sky stepped forward to his pink teammate. "Come on, Syd," he murmured, "I think we should take a walk. We'll be back soon," Sky added in a louder voice to the rest of Syd's party guests.

Syd followed Sky as he strode away from the gathering. He stopped some twenty yards away, under a weeping willow tree next to a duck pond. "What is it with you?" he demanded once Syd had caught up with him. "You're acting like a spoiled bright Syd. Why are you being so rude to your parents?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and snorted. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Your mother looked near tears, Syd; now tell me what happened. I…I thought I was doing the right thing by inviting them. If I had known you were upset with your parents. I wouldn't have told them to come." Hesitantly, he held out his arms. Syd, grateful he was going to let her cry on his shoulder, threw herself into his embrace.

Having Syd pressed so close to him was having the same effect on Sky that it had on her being in the shower. But he _really_ couldn't think about how attractive he found Syd, now when she needed him. Concentrating very hard on trying to be supportive, Sky held onto her a little tighter and waited for her to speak.

"They lied to me. When I found out about being adopted, I asked them why I was different. Rose told me they didn't know, even though they both worked at SPD and had to know the accident was the reason why. And then they told me that the Graysons died in an accident, when they were really killed by Gruumm. I looked it up in the files on the ranger history database. I just can't believe they lied to me for seventeen years. I mean, that's assuming they weren't lying about my age, too."

"Did you let them explain?" Sky asked in a very gentle voice for Sky. He absentmindedly played with the flower Syd had in her hair.

"Rose said they were trying to protect me, which makes no sense. What were they protecting me from?" Syd looked up at him, her face miserable. "Why couldn't your parents have adopted me? Your mom would have told me the truth."

Sky frowned. He did not want Syd to be his sister. "I've told you before, Syd. You made Aunt Rose and Uncle Mack so happy. They never would have had a family if it wasn't for you. You gave them just what they always wanted. So maybe they could have done a few things differently. It doesn't mean they don't love you and want what's best for you."

Syd burst out laughing. "Since when are _you_ so wise?"

"Got a smile out of you, didn't I?"

"Yeah. But they still need to explain. And I don't think I'm quite ready to hear it yet. I need more time to get used to the idea."

"Go when you're ready."

When Syd and Sky went back to the party, the Hartfords had gone. "Your mom put a note in your present," Z told her. "What's up with you guys, anyway? Why did you snap at her?"

"I have to go," Syd said in a distracted voice. "Thank you all so much," the pink ranger called to her friends. She began to gather up her gifts. Sky was at her side a moment later, helping her out to her car.

Syd concentrated very hard on driving back to the academy. When she had parked her car, she found the bag from her parents and reached inside. She pulled a framed photo of her biological parents out.

The first thing she did was smile faintly. They were a nice-looking couple. Syd had never seen two people look happier just to be standing next to one another, except for Rose to Mack.

Next she studied the note her mother – Rose – had left.

_Syd,_

_After much prodding, we talked the commander into giving us a picture he had on file._

_I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But just know that we love and care about you. When you get the chance, come home and we'll talk._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_


	15. Chapter 15

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Post Recognition**o0o0

Syd had tried everything she could think of to get Sky to forgive her. She should have known in a nanosecond that her best friend wasn't himself as he'd barged into her room with a strange look in his eye.

Sky insisted there was nothing to be sorry about. "No one knew, Syd. It's OK. I'm not mad at you; I'm only mad at myself."

"What? Why?" Syd demanded as she folded her arms over her chest. She could never understand why he insisted on taking all the blame for himself. Maybe it had something to do with wanting to be red ranger.

Sky stretched his hand out to cup Syd's face gently between his callused fingers. "I could have hurt you. I know he came into your room, looking for the cockpit of the megazord. I don't know why I remember doing it, but I do. And if any harm had come to you, Syd, I don't think I could ever live with myself."

The petite pink ranger scooted over on the couch into her friend's lap. "That wasn't your fault. It was Wootox who would have hurt me, sweetheart, not you. And nothing happened. But even if it had happened, I would never blame you."

Sky put his arms around her, and it was as natural as breathing to hold her close. "I know you wouldn't," the older boy told Sydney after a few quiet minutes. "But I would." He pressed a kiss on the top of Syd's hair, still cuddling with her. The blond haired girl, so shocked yet pleased that Sky was breaking the rules for _her_, smiled before closing her eyes.

The rec room door opened with a hiss soon after that, and the rest of the team walked in. Sky released his hold on his oldest friend, but the others had already seen the possessive way he held Syd.

Jack smirked; Z grinned; and Bridge just smiled sincerely. Being psychic and in tune to the emotions of those around him, he had always known about the mutual affection between the pink and blue rangers. It was nice to see they were slowly learning how to be together.

0o0o**Post Reflection**o0o0

Syd was tired and confused. It had been a long week, fighting first the copycat criminal and then Uncle Wes' murderer. On top of that, she was no longer sure that one day she and Sky would be together. The way he had flirted with Z in the park…it made Syd's heart hurt. And then, on patrol, Sky had rescued _her_, had touched _her_ waist and pulled _her_ to safety…

"Damn you, Sky," she muttered to herself. She couldn't believe how good he was at frustrating her. He had almost quit earlier – for a horrible moment she had thought he was about to walk out of her life. Thank God Jack had yelled at him until Sky snapped back to reality.

The pink ranger turned over in her bed, trying to get to sleep. Every time Syd closed her eyes she saw Z and Sky laughing together in the park. Then the scene would change to Z and Sky getting married, and then Z with a dark haired baby in her arms, Sky beaming at them proudly…

Syd sat up, clutching Peanuts to her tightly. Sky couldn't marry Z; it would break the pink ranger's heart. And if Z was any kind of friend, she would never accept so much as a date from Sky. Syd had told the younger girl secrets she and Sky had kept for years…Z knew that Syd was head over heels for the brooding member of B Squad.

She wondered what her mother would say.

It had been months since the debacle at her birthday party, the incident that had left Rose in tears and Mack hurt beyond belief. Syd hadn't spoken to the Hartfords since that day, and after a few weeks, they had simply stopped calling.

She really did miss her father's horrible, corny jokes and her mother's lectures on how Syd had such a bright future ahead of her. She missed her dad's hugs and her mom's advice and words of caution. She missed going home on an off duty weekend and seeing her parents and their friends. She missed thinking of Rose and Mack as 'Mom and Dad.'

Syd had a few days of vacation stored up. She could go home and make up with her parents. Who knew how much longer she would have to do that? They were in the middle of a war here, for crying out loud. Something could happen to her at any moment due to her being on the frontline of the battles.

Syd got out of bed and got dressed again. Then she walked through the dreary corridors to the Command Center. Cruger would still be awake.

Sure enough, Sydney was right. She saluted to her commanding officer before speaking. "Sir, I was wondering if I could take my vacation now. I'd like to visit my parents. I think facing Mirloc has made me realize they could be gone in the blink of an eye, like Wes was. I realize this probably isn't the best time, but if you really need me, I can always come back."

"Of course, cadet," Cruger said in his gravelly voice. "Providing that you fill out your paperwork…when you return." The alien dog gave one of his rare smiles to the current pink ranger before saluting. Syd returned the gesture before turning to stride out of the Command Center.

The little blond returned to her dorm room and went right to her closet. She found the old pink duffel bag with the Overdrive symbol on it that had been her mother's and placed it on the bed. Excited about going to see her mom and dad, Syd quickly began piling civilian clothes into the bag.

As she was leaving, she spotted Sky and Z coming down the corridor together. Syd recognized this relaxed Sky – Summer Sky, her Sky. Suddenly, the pink ranger felt like her heart was in her throat. She wondered what her teammates had been doing together that could make them come away looking very couple-y.

The yellow and blue rangers saw their pink counterpart at the same time she saw them. _'I have to explain,'_ Z thought, _'Or else it'll break Syd's heart. I'm the one she trusted with her secret; I can't let it look like I'm trying to take Sky from her.'_

Normally, the brooding blue ranger would be thinking among the same lines. He knew he felt too strongly for Syd to ever be interested in Z…and, logically, his best friend returned his level of affection. It had all added up when Z had laid out the pieces for him earlier…

Things looked very, very bad as Syd picked up her pace, slinging her bag over her shoulder to make sure he saw she was leaving.

0o0o0o0

It was lucky for Syd that the drive back to San Angeles required her utmost attention so she wouldn't miss the exit. She couldn't think about Sky and Z. Not until she was home, anyway.

Finally, finally, Sydney parked her silver car in the driveway beside her mother's white one. She noticed Mack's red SUV was nowhere to be seen. That was OK; she really needed her mom now more than anything. Syd took a deep breath as she strode up the front walk to the door.

It wasn't too late, only about eleven. Her mom would probably still be awake. If not, Syd could wait eight hours til tomorrow morning. She tried the front door and found it was locked. _'No _problem,' Syd thought. _'I have a key.'_

There was a Hartford dozing in the living room, but it wasn't who Syd was expecting. The soft creak of the front door was enough to wake the former red ranger. "Rose?" he called in a sleepy tone. Mack got up from the couch and ambled into the front room to find not his wife, but his daughter. "Syd?" he asked, confused.

As soon as Syd saw her father, she knew coming home had been the right choice. How could she ever have been angry at him? He was her daddy. Her daddy, who had taught her how to swim and ride a bike and throw a punch. Her daddy, who had tucked her into bed at night and chased the monsters away. Her daddy, who had only ever wanted to do right by her.

"I'm so sorry," Syd cried as she dropped her bag on the floor and crossed the room to him. She threw her arms around her dad, who hugged back.

"I'm sorry, too. We made a mistake, your mom and me, by not telling you what you deserved to know. It was dumb, trying to keep something so important from you for so long." The elder Hartford squeezed his little girl one last time before letting go of her. "Is something wrong, Syd? Why are you home?"

"Don't you remember just needing your mom and dad sometimes?" Syd asked. "I really need Mom's advice. And plus…we just fought Mirloc, the scum who killed Uncle Wes. It made me think that something could happen to me or one of you at anytime. Gruumm's not gonna stop anytime soon."

Mack nodded. "No, he won't. Anyway, sweetheart, Mom's not home. She won't be until tomorrow. She had to go to a conference over in Briarwood. I thought you were her coming home early. Can I get you something?"

Syd's heart sunk a little. She really wanted her mother tonight. "Hot chocolate," she said after a moment, "And then I'll go up to bed."

"You look like you could use some sleep," Mack agreed. He wished Syd would share whatever her problem was with him. He wanted so much to make up for the mistake he and Rose had made. But maybe it was for the best that she wanted Rose's help. Syd's lack of communication had hurt his Rosie more than it had hurt him.

Syd sat down at the table while Mack prepared two mugs of cocoa. The former red ranger squirted a healthy dose of whipped cream on top of both mugs and joined his only child. "Daddy?" Syd asked, holding her cocoa in both hands. She took a sip of her drink as she waited for her father to answer.

"Yeah?"

"How come Mom's car is here if she's not?"

Mack's answer came easily. "Her brakes were worn out but she didn't have enough notice about the conference to get replacements. She took the SUV so I could get new brakes for her car while she was gone. And Sydie, I promise, she'll be home in the morning. Now please finish up and get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy," the younger Hartford told her father. She drained her hot chocolate, put the cup in the sink and grabbed her bag before heading up to her childhood bedroom.

The former red ranger waited until Syd's feet took her out of earshot before picking up the kitchen phone. He dialed Rose's cell phone, hoping she would answer at this late hour.

"Hello?" she answered groggily after about ten rings.

"Syd is home," Mack told his wife. "She needs you. And so do I. Syd needs her mom and I need my wife. Will you come over tomorrow morning?"

Rose was hesitant. "She wants to see me? Did she say that? In that order: 'I want to see Mom,'?"

Mack sighed heavily. "I would never lie to you, Rose. She said, and I quote, "I really need Mom's advice.' Will you please come over tomorrow and be her mother again?"

"Did you tell her about us?" The petite scholar knew that if Syd did know about her parents' problems, she would be really upset. It wasn't something Rose was looking forward to discussing.

Rose's husband snorted. "No, I didn't. She's stressed out, Rose. She looks too thin and too tired. She's out there every day, just like we were, keeping the world safe from Gruumm. Syd doesn't need our problems on top of everything else she has to deal with. If she needs to know, _you_ can tell her. It was _your _idea for us to take a break."

"Don't be a child. This is why she didn't talk to us for months, Mack! We kept secrets from her. I, for one, won't make the same stupid mistake twice."

"Oh, _I'm_ the child? You were the one who ran away; you were the one who decided we needed space. You were the one who decided you weren't happy."

Rose was quiet for a long moment. "I'll be there in the morning. Good night."

0o0o0o0

Syd woke up the next morning to a soft knock on the door. "Come in," she yawned.

Rose entered her daughter's bedroom holding two coffee cups. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted. "Feel better now? It's after ten."

"I do feel better, Mom," Syd replied. She took a coffee from her mother and patted the bed. Rose sat down. "I've really missed you, Mom. I'm sorry about pulling a drama queen act on you. It won't happen again. Promise."

The older pink ranger nodded. "I understand where you're coming from. It was too important a secret to have been kept from you for so long. We only wanted to do what we thought was best. When you're a ranger, Syd, so many strange, impossible things happen to you. We didn't know if someone might come looking for you, trying to hurt Mack and I through you. We changed your name to ours and when you got famous, you dropped 'Hartford.' We were glad for that. It would have made you harder to trace." Rose smoothed golden hair back behind her daughter's ear. "Oh sweetie, Dad and I love you so much."

"I know. I love you too."

A big grin broke out on Rose's face. "So, Dad said you wanted my advice about something. What's on your mind, Syd?"

The younger girl was quiet. She took several sips of her coffee before answering her mother's question. "I think Sky likes Z."

This wasn't what Rose had expected. She was silent. Finally, Rose said the only thing she could think of. "Why do you say that? I think Sky is very interested in you."

"So did I!" Syd said loudly, and Rose plainly heard the hurt in her only baby's voice. "Last night when I was leaving, they were coming down the hallway together and they were just smiling, like you and Dad do sometimes when you're close." Rose felt a little stab of hurt at this comparison, but Syd was speaking again. "A few days ago, before Mirloc came into the picture, we were at the park. Sky was flirting with Z. He kept taking the Frisbee."

Rose, careful not to spill either cup of coffee, leaned over to Syd and pulled the sad woman into her arms. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. I wish I knew how to fix it. I've known Sky most of his life and I've always thought that the way he acted around you meant something. I know it's not fun for you, but don't you love him enough to care that he's happy?"

"Of course I do."

"A long time ago, I thought Ronny and Dad were into each other. It hurt, but luckily for me, it didn't last long. Ronny was just looking for someone to compete with."

Trying to imagine this scenario was nearly impossible for Sydney. She couldn't picture her father with anyone but her mother, nor could she see Aunt Ronny with anyone but Uncle Will. "Weird."

"What does Z know about your relationship with Sky?"

"Everything. She knows we've been friends for forever and about that night with Jon. I trusted her with that secret. She knows I'm in love with Sky, and she took him anyway."

"Maybe you should think of it like this: Maybe he's all she has. I mean, she doesn't have her mom and dad, and she's only just getting used to having a warm bed and enough to eat. From what you've told me, Z's had a hard life. It's not right of her to disregard your feelings, especially because she knows their extent, but try stepping into Z's shoes."

Somewhere inside, Sydney knew her mother was right. But at the moment, all she really wanted to do was throw a temper tantrum and then make herself feel better with a shopping spree. Instead, she tried to smile. "Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?"

"No." Rose shook her head. "You're home for a few days, right?"

"I have til Thursday," Syd confirmed. "Do you have class today?"

"I cancelled. Let's do our girl thing today, OK? We can go shopping and have lunch…maybe get facials…" Rose knew her daughter's weakness for glamour.

"Sounds good."

0o0o0o0

The Hartford women came home to find dinner on the table. Syd went to wash her hands, and Mack used the opportunity to speak to Rose. "You're right. We should tell her."

"We will. And it's not like it's a permanent thing. We're just trying it out. Syd will understand. I hope."

The family of three was halfway through their meal when the adults spoke up. "I know this can't be the best time," Rose began, nervous, "I know the stress you're facing. But Dad and I have learned out lesson, and we have something very important to tell you."

Syd didn't like the looks on her parents' faces. "OK, shoot," she said, trying to keep an open mind.

"We're not really together right now, Syd," Mack explained. "We fought, we did say things we didn't mean, but the message was clear, for both of us. We need some time apart. It's just a trial. I know I still hope we'll be able to work things out, but if it doesn't…it'll still be the most significant relationship of my life."

"Mine, too," Rose added. This was true; she wouldn't trade her life and experiences with Mack for anything. "We'll always love each other."

Syd was shaking her head in disbelief. "No," she told herself. "No. Not you two. How is anyone supposed to have any hope to stay together if you two can't?" Syd was crushed. She thought she and Sky had a similar relationship to her parents. He was focused and serious like Rose; she was fun-loving and upbeat like Mack. If her parents couldn't make it, then how could she and Sky?


	16. Chapter 16

**My Mom is a Teacher**

Syd tried very hard not to let her parents' split bother her. If they needed time away to work out their differences, then it was good they could be adults and acknowledge this fact rather than continue to be unhappy.

She did hope for her parents to patch things up. Syd just couldn't see them throwing away more than half their lives over a silly fight. She knew people got divorces all the time, but her parents were different. They were in love.

Neither Hartford parent wanted to tell their daughter what they had fought about. No matter how she begged and pleaded, insisting that if she knew the topic that she could help, they wouldn't tell her. It frustrated the pink ranger to no end. All her life, her mother and father had helped solve her problems. The one chance she had to return the favor, they wouldn't let her.

Syd spent her vacation with both of her parents. She helped her dad develop photographs in the darkroom, and she spent her evenings at her mother's apartment talking about ranger things. Syd was proud to have the status of pink ranger to share with her mother. It wasn't something a lot of people could boast.

On the night before Syd had to go back to SPD, she and her mom and dad were invited to the Astons' for dinner. Syd hadn't seen any of her parents' friends for a long time, and she decided that even if her mother and father weren't going, she would. Maybe Ronny would be able to tell her what her parents would not.

As she was getting ready to see her aunt, uncle and cousins, her cell phone rang. The caller ID showed Sky's name. It had been days since she'd spoken to any of her teammates, so she decided to answer. "Hi," she said. The tone she'd been going for was distant, but somehow she sounded cheerful instead.

"Why did you leave?" the blue ranger demanded. "We need every able bodied person we can get, Sydney. You can't just quit in the middle of things. You're an adult now. You can't go home to mommy and daddy when life gets tough. I'm really disappointed in you. I thought you were better than that." His voice was harsh – too harsh. Syd wasn't going to stand for it.

"What the hell gives you the right to talk to me like that?" Syd snapped. "I didn't quit, Sky. I'm on vacation. Besides, you don't want me around, not when you have your precious Z. You know, I really don't know what I thought I saw in you. I hope you're happy."

Syd pressed the button to end the phone call and tossed the phone into her purse. She turned back to her mirror to finish doing her hair. Syd ripped her brush through her blond locks angrily. How dare Sky talk to her in such a rude, accusatory way. What a jerk.

Her phone rang. "He doesn't know when to quit," Syd mumbled to herself as she fished through her bag for the irritating device. "What?"

It was Z who spoke to her this time. "I'm not anyone's 'precious Z', pinkie," the younger girl snarled. "Sky and I aren't together. I wouldn't go behind anyone's back like that, especially yours. I thought we were getting to be friends, but we can't be if you don't trust me. You want to know what Sky and I were talking about? You. We were talking about you and how you and Sky would make a good couple. He was coming to talk to you about how he was willing to do whatever it took for the two of you to work."

The petite pink ranger wanted to believe this, she really did. It just seemed too impossible to be real. "It's OK, Z. I'm the bigger person here. You can have him if you want him so bad. I don't care, because I don't need either one of you. I'm Syd Drew. I can get any guy I want. You have my sloppy seconds all you like, Delgado."

Syd hung up and gathered her purse and jacket. She stomped down the stairs. Her father was in the kitchen, rifling through the drawer where they kept the takeout menus. "Dad, are you sure you don't want to come? Mom won't be there; she has a class tonight. For me? I'm leaving tomorrow. Who knows when I'll get to come home again?"

"I see them all the time, Sydie. You go on and visit. I'll see you later. Drive safe."

Syd nodded as she picked up her keys. "Bye, Dad."

The Astons were thrilled to see her. It really had been a long time, and the multitude of questions Ronny asked proved it. Syd was happy to answer, and happy to be up to speed with her family's friends. A part of her wanted her mom and dad to be here as well, but Sydney managed to keep that at bay.

When dinner was finished and the boys had gone to watch a baseball game and Ruby to get ready for bed, Sydney helped Ronny do the dishes. Syd dried the dishes quietly. The former yellow ranger was mildly concerned. Her niece was never so solemn. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Do you know why my parents split up?"

Ronny mused for a moment, scrubbing particularly hard at a spaghetti sauce stain. "They're only on a break, sweetheart. They'll work it out. But I do know what they fought about. I'm not sure I should tell you, though. It's not my story to share."

"Please, Ronny? My mom and dad won't talk about it. I wish I could help fix this mess, but I need details to be able to. It has to be something pretty important if they're still so upset."

The older woman finally relented. "Syd, when you stopped talking to your mom, it upset her. She was depressed; just going through the motions. You dad, being the sweet, loving guy that he is, was trying to help. He kept holding her, telling her it would be OK. It's what he's always done. I guess your mom just got fed up with it and snapped. She said he was smothering her and he got angry. He told her to just leave if she wasn't happy. So she did."

The current pink ranger wasn't prepared for this answer. "So it's my fault. I ruined their marriage. I have to go help them make up. Thanks for dinner, Ronny. I'll see you next time, alright? Take care."

"I didn't say it was your fault," Ronny piped up as Syd walked through the Astons' home towards the door. "That's just how you interpreted it."

"Bye, Aunt Ronny," Syd said as she let herself out.

When Syd got home, she found Mack finishing up a small pizza. "Call Mom," she said. "You guys can't get a divorce over me. I'm sorry about ruining your marriage. But you have to get her back, Dad. Mom is so great, and you guys were happy. Please call her."

Mack blinked. He dropped the scrap of crust in his hand onto the plate, staring at his daughter. "Who told you that Mom and I were getting a divorce? It's not true. We're-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You're on a 'break.' But Dad, you and Mom love each other. You can't just throw out all these years like they don't mean anything. They do mean something. You know it, I know it, and Mom knows it. Please, Dad. Her class is over now. Give her a call."

"Syd, do you honestly think I haven't tried to call your mother? I call her about ten times a day. She's not ready to come home yet. She may never be ready. But that's not your fault. You didn't cause any of our problems. If anything, sweetheart, you solved our problems. You made us feel human again. Before you, things around here weren't so pretty."

It took Syd a few minutes to realize that her father was referring to he and Rose's first daughter, the baby girl who had been stillborn. By the time she figured this out, her father had left the kitchen for the front room. "You don't have to talk about it, Dad," Syd murmured as she joined him. "The baby upsets you, and that's understandable. Just think about what I said."

"Losing the baby was one of the hardest things I ever had to go through." The elder Hartford smiled wistfully at his daughter. "But you not talking to us was harder. I think it may be because you actually got to grow up; I have memories of you. It wasn't that you couldn't talk to us…it was that you _wouldn't_. That's what made it hard. And your mother took it worse than I did. Being a mom is everything to her. I didn't realize how much it _did_ effect her. I didn't realize that my usual method of fixing things wouldn't work."

"Dad…"

"I didn't really want your mother to leave. I did what I always do, but I guess it's not good enough now. It's not the same without her. It's almost how it was before we got our little princess. Syd, you really have no idea how much you made things better around here. Before you, the house was like a crypt. Your mother was so…shattered. It's so hard for me to see her like that, knowing she won't let me in. Then we heard about the Graysons and the next thing I knew, we had a baby to take care of."

"Glad I could be useful," Syd joked, trying to get rid of the seriousness in the room. "Thanks for telling me." She started to walk towards the staircase. Halfway up the flight, the pink ranger turned around. "She'll be back. I know it."

0o0o**S.W.A.T.**o0o0

Syd was trying to be the bigger person. She was trying to accept Z and Sky being involved. But it was hard, and the pink ranger found her frustrations rising to the surface more often. The team had all been snapping at one another lately, and Syd knew she was definitely contributing to the tension.

The tiny blond continued to trudge through the heat with her heavy backpack. She would love to sit and rest, but that wouldn't help her determination to get stronger. None of the others would quit, so Syd couldn't let herself give up either.

As Syd dragged herself through the heat, she heard screams. Her brothers…her sister…her Sky. Sydney didn't know what may be lurking around on this foreign planet, and she needed to come to the rescue. Syd spun around and ran in the direction she'd come from, trying to prepare herself for what she was about to fight.

She caught up to the other rangers and found there was no danger at all. But she'd heard it so clearly…

"I want us to be together, not just as power rangers but as friends," Sky said. His blue gaze lingered on Syd, but she looked away. The other B Squad rangers nodded, and Syd knew they'd be OK. They were family. They realized that now, and Syd didn't think they'd ever go through another falling out as bad as this one had been.

0o0o**Impact**o0o0

It was strange. Z did not seem worried about Sky in the slightest. Syd, however, was trying not to be a nervous wreck.

Bridge noticed, of course. He sat down next to his sister, and Syd realized she was probably giving him a headache. "Oh Bridgey, I'm sorry. I really am. I just can't help but be worried about Sky. I've known him my whole life, practically, and it doesn't matter that he loves Z, because _I_ love _him_."

"He doesn't love Z. Trust me. He's in love, but not with Z. And anyway, don't worry. Sky is the best pilot SPD has seen in years. He'll do his mission, and he'll do it well."

Syd hugged the green ranger, grateful to him for trying to soothe her.

Still, when Sky joined them later, Syd had never felt more relieved.

0o0o**Endings: Before Piggy rescues the rangers**o0o0

Why did it seem like the older she got, the harder life became? Her parents weren't solving their problems; the monsters Gruumm sent were tougher; Jack had decided his new girlfriend was more important than sticking with the team; and Sky and Z had been gone for hours before the whole mess started…

There was a small, logical thinking part of Syd's brain that told her none of these facts were her fault (except for her parents' falling out – no matter what they said, Syd took the blame) and that nothing she could do would solve the problems.

Rose and Mack would stay apart from each other until they figured things out.

Gruumm wouldn't need monsters now – he as good as had Earth.

Jack was her big brother, and Syd loved him. If they got out of this thing alive, she would try to think of Jack and Ally's relationship as gaining a sister, not losing a brother.

Z and Sky still denied being together, but Syd had long since gotten over that. Or, she told herself that, anyway. Syd still couldn't believe her sister and the man she loved had gone off and hooked up behind her back. Well, she was better off. She didn't need them.

Syd had been in contact with her record label, and had agreed to come in to discuss the possibility of a new CD as soon as this mess with Gruumm was over – if it was ever over. Maybe her mother had been right. Maybe SPD wasn't for her. It only caused her problems.

Now she was trapped here on Gruumm's ship, wondering if there was any way she could get out of here. Sydney was trying to stay strong, but it was hard.

She'd never see her family again.

She'd never get married.

She'd never have children, or grandchildren…

Maybe something good would come of this. Maybe her parents would turn to each other in their shared grief. At least they could be together until Gruumm tracked down all the former rangers and killed them. At least her parents could die together.

"Syd?" It was Sky's voice that spoke to her. "Can we talk?"


	17. Chapter 17

**My Mom is a Teacher**

A tired Mack was glad to be home. It had been a long week, and he was looking forward to crashing on the couch with a snack. He could almost taste the grilled cheese he was planning to make.

But as he rounded the last corner towards home, the former red ranger was in for a bit of a surprise. He blinked a few times to see if he was just imagining the sight he'd wished for over the last few months.

Rose's car was in the driveway.

"Well, I should see what she wants," he said to himself. He ran a hand through his hair as he got out of the car. He took the time to lock all of the doors individually before heading up the front walk as slowly as possible.

Rose hadn't bothered to lock the door after her, Mack noticed. She had also flung off her jacket and dropped her purse on the stairs. _'Looks like she's not planning on staying long,'_ Mack thought. He picked up the coat and hung it neatly on the banister. "Rose?"

His estranged wife did not answer his calls. "Rose?" Mack asked again. He really wanted to call "Sweetheart?" but he opted not to.

As Mack walked through the house, he still couldn't find Rose. Then he heard a crash from the garage, followed by an incomprehensible mumbling.

The former red ranger walked into the garage to see Rose standing in front of their safe, looking annoyed. He noticed that she was clutching her right hand in her left and wondered what she could want out of the safe. She had taken most of her things when she left.

Rose could feel her husband's gaze on her, but she was too distracted to explain what she was doing here. "Will you open this stupid thing for me?" she snapped impatiently.

Mack didn't move. "What do you need out of there? What's going on?"

The petite former pink ranger spun around, anger in her eyes. "If you don't want to help me, I'll just call Will. Get out of my way."

She stomped towards him, trying to get back to the main house, but Mack stopped her. "Hold on a second. What are you so upset about? I'll help you, you know I will, but talk to me first. Start with what happened to your hand." Mack smiled slightly, trying to look like someone to confide in.

Rose ignored this, but she did speak. "Funny. You work at a _newspaper_ and yet you don't seem to be able to keep up with current events. Gruumm has the rangers, Mack. He has Syd and Sky and their friends. Gruumm is probably preparing to come down to Earth as we speak. We have no chance; the rangers are gone. We're never going to see our daughter again."

Mack snatched his wife up, being careful of her injured hand. Rose embraced him as well, burying her face in his chest and crying for a few minutes before pulling back. "So that's why I'm here. I'm getting the pink Tracker and I'm going to New Tech to fight. I'm not going to sit around until Gruumm gets a good hold and then hunts down all the former rangers who would cause him problems. I need to do this. _We_ need it. And if you're still the Mack that I married, the Mack that I _love_, you'll come with me."

"Get some ice on your hand. I'll get the Trackers."

0o0o0o0

Sky looked down at his pink teammate anxiously as he waited for her to answer. He needed to be able to tell her his real feelings, especially if they weren't going to live to see another day. He deserved to get it off his chest, after all the adventures they'd shared over the years.

"We can talk," Syd's voice said after a few minutes of contemplation. "I mean, if you really think you should spend the last moments of your life with me instead of with Z. Don't know how she'll feel about that, but I guess that's not really my place." The little blond folded her arms across her chest, looking up at him with a cold look in her eyes.

"For the last time, and I literally mean 'the last time', I don't love Z. I care about her like I would care about a sister. I _love _you. I always have. Most people can't say they've loved the same person since they were a child of six, but I can."

He didn't care that his fellow rangers and commanding officer were standing right there. The blue ranger drew his best friend into a tight hug, pausing to dry her tears. "I love you, Syd. I've loved you since I found out you were like me – different. You weren't just a spoiled princess then right then. You were someone who had the same burden to bear, and that made –"

"Sky, stop talking. It's my turn now." The current pink ranger smiled at him. "I believe you now. I should have believed you then. It's always been you, Sky. I wish I could have just accepted the truth for what it was. Now we don't have any time left."

"We don't know that yet. We can still get out of here." He was the hopeful one now. The blue ranger squeezed Syd a little tighter. It wasn't weird at all to be holding her like this, even in front of the others. It felt natural. "I love you," he murmured before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Syd bounced up to kiss him.

She tasted so nice – just how he's always thought she would: like bubblegum lip gloss and vanilla.

Cruger gave a polite cough. The two rangers released each other immediately, still smiling. Then Bridge babbled about Piggy and Sky remembered his anger towards the backstabbing alien. Because of the traitor, he and Syd might never get out of here. They might never get to have lives together.

"He's history, if I ever get my hands on him," Sky vowed. He glanced back at Syd. _'History_.'

0o0o0o0

The Hartfords were doing about twice the speed limit on their drive to New Tech. Rose was leaning up against the passenger side door, ready to jump into action as soon as Mack stopped the car. The petite pink ranger readjusted the bag of half melted ice on her bruised knuckles, sighing heavily. "I wish we could have said goodbye."

Mack nodded as he smoothly maneuvered the car into the next lane. "It's not what I would have expected, that's for sure. But Rose…I'm glad we're together, sick and twisted as it is for me to be even the slightest bit happy right now."

"I've been miserable, for the most part," Rose confessed. "I know I brought it on myself, but I felt like there was this huge piece of me missing over the last few weeks. And you know what? There was. I'm so sorry, Mack. I was being self centered, and, well, a bitch."

"No, Rosie," Mack said. "No. It's OK. I understand. Besides, we have a very limited amount of time left to us. We should focus on going down fighting together, not the past."

Rose did not answer. She was sitting as far forward in her seat as possible, gazing at the cityscape as they arrived in New Tech.

"It's the megazord."

'_Maybe it's not too late,'_ she thought. _'Maybe we can see Syd again, and maybe our extra fire power will put Gruumm away for good._'

0o0o0o0

The B Squad, along with Cruger and Sinai, were walking away from the final battle with Omni like the heroes they were. They felt incredible – the other victories they'd had over the last year were nothing compared to this natural high they were on.

Gruumm hadn't been taken care of yet, though. The rangers moved forward to fight, but Cruger got to him first. As the Commander gathered up Gruumm's containment card, Syd spotted her mother and father running towards the cheering cadets.

Syd started to her parents, meeting them halfway and nearly getting the wind knocked out of her by the hug she received from Rose. "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Are those morphers in your hands?"

"Trackers," Rose corrected. "And we were coming to help out. I saw on the news that you and the other rangers were gone and Dad and I knew we had to do what we could." The pink ranger released her daughter and turned to Sky. "What happened to 'I'll look out for Syd, Aunt Rose'?"

"Mom." Syd placed a hand on her mother's arm. "It wasn't his fault. Besides, I have to introduce you to someone. This is Sky."

"But Syd, you do realize that we've known Sky since he was a kid, right?"

"Yes, but you haven't known him as my boyfriend til now."

Mack shook the younger man's hand. "Good to meet you. The last boy Syd dated had to have his nose broken for pressuring her. Syd's got a few crazy protective friends, and crazy protective parents. Watch out for them."

"Yes, sir."

Rose rolled her eyes and watched Syd approach Z. _'Good for you, sweetie.'_

"Hey," Syd said shyly as she drew nearer to her sister. "Sorry I was stupid."

"You were," Z agreed. To Syd's surprise, Z gave her a big hug. "But we're cool now. We're sisters, remember? We're supposed to fight over boys."

The crowd began to head back into the academy, but they weren't joined by the Overdrive rangers. Rose caught Mack's eye and smiled shyly. "Thanks for coming with me. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Mack mused for a few quiet minutes and then spoke again. "It's good about Syd and Sky. I think they'll make each other very happy."

"You make me happy," Rose said softly as she took a few steps closer to her husband. "I've missed you."

She was very, very close. The look in her eyes – so trusting and hopeful – conveyed her thoughts to Mack perfectly. "You want to come home."

She nodded.

"You don't have to ask, you know. It's your house, too. And it's too big for just me."

Rose smiled. "I won't freak out on you the next time there's a problem. Promise."

That was enough for him. He leaned down to kiss her very softly.

Syd and Sky slipped outside for a walk to see her parents locked in a tight embrace. _'Maybe Earth should be taken over more often.'_


	18. Chapter 18

**My Mom is a Teacher**

0o0o**Six Years Later**o0o0

"It is my honor to present to you the new commander of the SPD Earth station. A few words, Commander Tate?" Cruger said into the microphone.

With a nervous smile, Sky stood from his chair behind the podium to switch places with the alien dog. As he began his speech, he caught Syd's eye. His wife smiled and lifted the baby in her arms so he could get an extra reassuring look at his family.

At the back of the room, a different SPD commander watched the petite blond closely.

Sky finished his speech and just as Cruger began to pin the commander badge on the younger man, the infant in Sydney Tate's arms began to cry. "I'll go take care of her," she whispered to her mother, who was sitting beside her. "We'll catch up at the party for Sky."

Syd slung the baby's diaper bag over her shoulder and hurried out into the corridor. "What's wrong, baby?" she cooed to her young child. Syd bounced the baby slightly as she paced, trying to figure out what was wrong. The baby had been fed right before the change of command ceremony had begun…

The logical conclusion popped into Syd's mind. "OK, Rosie," Syd crooned as she strode down the hotel hallway to the ladies' room.

After a quick diaper change, Syd had quieted her daughter successfully. "Come on, Rose. Daddy will be sad if we're late to his party. Besides, I know you just can't wait to be passed around and fussed over. You love attention, just like me."

The baby Rose giggled as her mother lifted her from the changing table. Syd balanced Rose on her hip and exited the restroom.

The man who had been watching her without her knowledge was waiting outside in the corridor. Syd knew there was something vaguely familiar about him. She gave him a sunny smile as she started down the hallway. The last thing the former pink ranger expected was for him to speak.

"Mrs. Tate?"

"Yes?" Syd responded as she turned slowly to face him once more. She racked her brains, trying to place him. He was tall, with sandy blond hair going slightly gray that he wore neatly spiked, and he was dressed in an SPD Commander's jacket and black slacks.

"I am Commander Ryan Mitchell of the SPD base on Mirinoi."

Ryan Mitchell…

Her uncle. Her biological uncle.

"Sydney…your daughter is beautiful," he said awkwardly. She could tell this wasn't what he had intended to say, and she shifted her weight slightly, conveying her discomfort and impatience. Ryan sensed this, too. "I know this is not the right time. It's been too long since I saw you, and I know I should have made a better effort to see you…"

Syd didn't say anything. She took a deep breath to steady herself and reminded herself that her child was in her arms. It wasn't the baby's fault that the only real tie she had to her birth parents had ignored her for most of her life. "I don't know why you would want to talk to me all of a sudden," Sydney said coolly. "I'm just your only living family member. But you know what? I don't really need to hear what you have to say. I have all the family that I need."

Ryan looked slightly taken aback. The former ranger blinked, trying to find words. "The Hartfords really wanted you, Sydney. I met with them to discuss custody of you, and it was so clear that Mrs. Hartford already thought of you as hers. And I was still on active duty then, unmarried, an all around bachelor. It was no place for a child to grow up, and I would have had no idea what to do with you. I'm sorry."

Syd shook her head. "There was a time when my parents and I didn't talk. I might really have wanted to know about the Graysons then, but now that desire is gone. So what if my mom and dad aren't the people who gave me life? They love me just like I was their own, and I only fully realized that the day Rose was born. I don't want your excuses or apologies."

The little pink ranger squared her shoulders and began to walk again. "Your mom was a doctor," Ryan told his niece's retreating figure.

Sydney Tate wheeled around one last time. "My mother was a doctor. My _mom_ is a teacher."


End file.
